THE  MERCY  OP  ALLAH 


That  Is: 

THE 
MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

BY 

HILAIRE  BELLOC 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK         : :  : :         MCMXXII 


OOPTBIQHT,  1922,  BY 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


PBtMTaD  IH   THS   tTKITBO   BTATSS   OT   AMXaiOA 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
SANTA  BARBARA 


TO 
QRTANA  HUXLEY  HAYNES 


CONTENTS 


OHAPTEE 

I.  AlRalFsat,  or  the  Kick 

II.  J.L-Z>i7ijAft,  OR  THE  Pearls       ., 

III.  AlTawajin,  or  the  Ph^kins 

IV.  AlKaniara,  or  the  Bridge   .. 
V.  Mile,  OR  Salt 

VI.  Al-Wueala,  or  the  Lawyers 

VII.  AlGhanamat,  or  the  Sheep 

VIII.  AlBustan,  or  the  Orchard 

IX.  Camels  and  Dates 

X.  AlHisan,  or  the  Horse 

XI.  Al-  Wali.  or  the  Holy  One 

XII.  The  New  Quarter  of  the  City 

XIII.  The  Money  Made  of  Paper 

XIV.  The  Peace  op  the  Soul 


3 
25 

41 
59 
87 
113 
151 
171 
203 
223 
243 
259 
293 
321 


\ 


AL-EAFSAT 

That  is: 
The  Kick 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

CHAPTER  I 

ENTITLED  AL-RAF8AT,   OR  THE   KICK 


IN  the  days  of  Abd-er-Eahman,  who  was  among 
the  wisest  and  most  glorious  of  the  Com- 
manders of  the  Faithful,  there  resided  in  the  City 
of  Bagdad  an  elderly  merchant  of  such  enormous 
wealth  that  his  lightest  expressions  of  opinion 
caused  the  markets  of  the  Euphrates  to  fluctuate 
in  the  most  alarming  manner. 

This  merchant,  whose  name  was  Mahmoud,  had 
a  brother  in  the  middle  ranks  of  Society,  a  surgeon 
by  profession,  and  by  name  El-Hakim.  To  this 
brother  he  had  frequently  expressed  a  fixed  deter- 
mination to  leave  him  no  wealth  of  any  kind.  "It 
is  my  opinion,"  he  would  say,  ''that  a  man's  first 
duty  is  to  his  own  children,  and  though  I  have  no 
children  myself,  I  must  observe  the  general  rule. ' ' 
He  was  fond  of  dilating  upon  this  subject  when- 
ever he  came  across  his  relative,  and  would 
discover  from  time  to  time  new  and  still  better 
reasons  for  the  resolution  he  had  arrived  at.  His 
brother  received  with  great  courtesy  the  prospect 
held  out  to  him  by  the  wealthy  merchant ;  but  one 
day,  finding  tedious  the  hundredth  repetition  of 
that  person's  pious  but  somewhat  wearisome  re- 
solve, said  to  him : 

3 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

"Mahmoud,  though  it  would  be  a  mean  and  even 
an  impious  thing  to  expect  an  inheritance  from 
you  to  any  of  my  seven  sons,  yet  perhaps  you  will 
allow  these  boys  to  receive  from  your  lips  some 
hint  as  to  the  manner  in  which  you  have  accu- 
mulated that  great  wealth  which  you  now  so 
deservedly  enjoy. ' ' 

"By  all  means,"  said  Mahmoud,  who  was  ever 
ready  to  describe  his  own  talents  and  success, 
''Send  the  little  fellows  round  to  me  to-morrow 
about  the  hour  the  public  executions  take  place 
before  the  Palace,  for  by  that  time  I  shall  have 
breakfasted,  and  shall  be  ready  to  receive  them. ' ' 

The  Surgeon,  with  profuse  thanks,  left  his 
Ibrother  and  conveyed  the  good  news  to  the  seven 
lads,  who  stood  in  order  before  him  with  the 
respect  for  parents  customary  in  the  Orient,  each 
placed  according  to  his  size  and  running  in  grada- 
tion from  eight  to  sixteen  years  of  age. 

Upon  the  morrow,  therefore,  the  Surgeon's 
seven  sons,  seated  gravely  upon  crossed  legs, 
formed  a  semi-circle  at  the  feet  of  their  revered 
relative,  who,  when  he  had  watched  them  humor- 
ously and  in  silence  for  some  moments,  pufifing  at 
his  great  pipe,  opened  his  Hps  and  spoke  as 
follows : 

"Your  father  has  wondered,  my  dear  nephews, 
in  what  way  the  fortune  I  enjoy  has  been  acquired ; 
for  in  his  own  honourable  but  far  from  lucrative 
walk  of  life,  sums  which  are  to  me  but  daily  trifles 
appear  like  the  ransoms  of  kings.  To  you,  his 
numerous  family,  it  seems  of  especial  advantage 
that  the  road  to  riches  should  be  discovered.  Now 
I  will  confess  to  you,  my  dear  lads,  that  I  am  quite 

4 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

ignorant  of  any  rule  or  plan  whereby  the 
perishable  goods  of  this  world  may  be  rapidly 
accumulated  in  the  hands  of  the  Faithful.  Nay, 
did  any  such  rule  exist,  I  am  persuaded  that  by 
this  time  the  knowledge  of  it  would  be  so  widely 
diffused  as  to  embrace  the  whole  human  race.  In 
which  case, ' '  he  added,  puflSng  meditatively  at  his 
pipe, '  ^  all  would  cancel  out  and  no  result  would  be 
achieved;  since  a  great  fortune,  as  I  need  not 
inform  young  people  of  your  sagacity,  is  hardly 
to  be  acquired  save  at  the  expense  of  others. 

"But  though  I  cannot  give  you  those  rules  for 
which  your  father  was  seeking  when  he  sent  you 
hither,  I  can  detail  you  the  steps  by  which  my 
present  affluence  was  achieved;  and  each  of  you, 
according  to  his  intelligence,  will  appreciate  what 
sort  of  accidents  may  make  for  the  increase  of 
fortune.  When  you  are  possessed  of  this  knowl- 
edge it  will  serve  you  through  life  for  recreation 
and  amusement,  though  I  very  much  doubt  its 
making  you  any  richer.  For  it  is  not  the  method 
nor  even  the  opportunity  of  intelligent  acquisition 
which  lead  to  great  riches,  but  two  other  things 
combined:  one,  the  unceasing  appetite  to  snatch 
and  hold  from  all  and  at  every  season ;  the  other, 
that  profound  mystery,  the  Mercy  of  God. 

**For  Allah,  in  his  inscrutable  choice,  frowns  on 
some  and  smiles  on  others.  The  first  he  condemns 
to  contempt,  anxiety,  duns,  bills.  Courts  of  law, 
sudden  changes  of  residence  and  even  dungeons ; 
the  second  he  gratifies  with  luxurious  vehicles, 
delicious  sherbert  and  enormous  houses,  such  as 
mine.    His  will  be  done. 

"A  dear  friend  of  mine,  one  Mashe,  was  a 

5 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

receiver  of  stolen  goods  in  Bosra,  until  God  took 
him,  now  twenty  years  ago.  He  left  two  sons  of 
equal  intelligence  and  rapacity.  The  one,  after 
numerous  degradations,  died  of  starvation  in 
Armenia ;  the  other,  of  no  greater  skill,  is  to-day 
governor  of  all  Algeirah  and  rings  the  changes  at 
will  upon  the  public  purse.    Mektuh." 

For  a  moment  the  ancient  Captain  of  Lidustry 
paused  with  bent  head  in  solemn  meditation  upon 
the  designs  of  Heaven,  then  raising  his  features 
protested  that  he  had  too  long  delayed  the  story 

of  his  life,  with  which  he  would  at  once  proceed. 

***** 

**As  a  boy,  my  dear  nephews,"  began  the  kindly 
uncle,  while  his  dutiful  nephews  regarded  him 
with  round  eyes,  *'I  was  shy,  dirty,  ignorant,  lazy, 
and  wilful.  My  parents  and  teachers  had  but  to 
give  me  an  order  for  me  to  conceive  at  once  some 
plan  of  disobeying  it.  All  forms  of  activity  save 
those  connected  with  dissipation  were  abhorrent 
to  me.  So  far  from  reciting  with  other  boys  of 
my  age  in  chorus  and  without  fault  the  verses  of 
the  Koran,  I  grew  up  completely  ignorant  of  that 
work,  the  most  Solemn  Name  in  which  I  to  this 
day  pronounce  with  an  aspirate  from  an  unfamil- 
iarity  with  its  aspect  upon  the  written  page.  Yet 
I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  never  neglected  my  relig- 
ious duties,  that  I  prayed  with  fervour  and  regu- 
larity, and  that  I  had  a  singular  faith  in  the  loving 
kindness  of  my  God. 

''I  had  already  reached  my  seventeenth  year 
when  my  father,  who  had  carefully  watched  the 
trend  of  my  nature  and  the  use  to  which  I  had  put 
my  faculties,  addressed  me  as  follows : 

6 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

**  ^Mahmoud,  I  wish  you  no  ill,  I  have  so  far 
fed  and  clothed  you  because  the  Caliph  (whom 
Allah  preserve!)  has  caused  those  who  neglect 
their  younger  offspring  to  be  severely  beaten  upon 
the  soles  of  their  feet.  It  is  now  my  intention  to 
send  you  about  your  business.  I  propose' — and 
here  my  dear  father  pulled  out  a  small  purse 
— Ho  give  you  the  smallest  sum  compatible  with 
my  own  interests,  so  that  if  any  harm  befall 
you,  the  vigilant  officers  of  the  Crown  cannot 
ascribe  your  disaster  to  my  neglect.  I  request 
that  you  will  walk  in  any  direction  you  choose 
so  only  that  it  be  in  a  straight  line  away  from 
my  doors.  If,  when  this  your  patrimony  is  spent, 
you  make  away  with  yourself  I  shall  hold  you 
to  blame;  I  shall  be  better  pleased  to  hear 
that  you  have  sold  yourself  into  slavery  or  in 
some  other  way  provided  for  your  continued  sus- 
tenance. But  what  I  should  like  best  would  be 
never  to  hear  of  you  again.*  With  those  words 
my  father  (your  grandfather,  dear  boys),  seizing 
me  by  the  shoulders,  turned  my  back  to  his  doors 
and  thrust  me  forth  with  a  hearty  kick  the  better 
to  emphasize  his  meaning. 

'  *  Thus  was  I  launched  out  in  the  dawn  of  man- 
hood to  try  my  adventures  with  the  world. 

**I  discovered  in  my  pouch  as  I  set  out  along 
the  streets  of  the  city  the  sum  of  100  dinars,  with 
which  my  thoughtful  parent  had  provided  me 
under  the  legal  compulsion  which  he  so  feelingly 
described.  'With  so  large  a  capital,'  said  I  to 
myself,  *I  can  exist  for  several  days,  indulge  my 
favourite  forms  of  dissipation,  and  when  they 
are  well  spent  it  will  be  time  enough  to  think  of 

7 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

some  experiment  whereby  to  replace  them.'  " 

Here  the  eldest  nephew  said  respectfully  and 
with  an  inclination  of  the  head:  ''Pray,  uncle, 
what  is  a  dinar  1 ' ' 

*'My  dear  lad,"  replied  the  merchant  with  a 
merry  laugh,  "I  confess  that  to  a  man  of  my 
position  a  reply  to  your  question  is  impossible.  I 
could  only  tell  you  that  it  is  a  coin  of  considerable 
value  to  the  impoverished,  but  to  men  like  myself 
a  denomination  so  inferior  as  to  be  indistinguish- 
able from  all  other  coins." 

Having  so  expressed  himself  the  worthy  mer- 
chant resumed  the  thread  of  his  tale : 

'*I  had,  I  say,  started  forward  in  high  spirits  to 
the  sound  of  the  coins  jingling  in  my  pouch,  when 
my  steps  happened  to  take  to  the  water-side, 
where  I  found  a  ship  about  to  sail  for  the  Persian 
Gulf.  'Here,'  said  I  to  myself,  'is  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  travelling  and  for  seeing  the 
world.  * 

"The  heat  of  the  day  was  rising.  No  one  was 
about  but  two  watermen,  who  lay  dozing  upon  the 
bank.  I  nimbly  stepped  aboard  and  hid  myself 
behind  one  of  the  bales  of  goods  with  which  the 
deck  was  packed.  When  the  sun  declined  and 
work  was  resumed,  the  sailors  tramped  aboard, 
the  sail  was  hoisted,  and  we  started  upon  our 
journey. 

"Befriended  by  the  darkness  of  night  I  crept 
out  quietly  from  my  hiding-place  and  found  a 
man  watching  over  the  prow,  where  he  was 
deputed  to  try  the  depth  of  the  water  from  time 
to  time  with  a  long  pole.    I  affected  an  air  of 

8 


AL-RAFSAT,  OE  THE  KICK 

authority,  and  told  him  that  the  Captain  had 
sent  me  forward  to  deliver  his  commands,  which 
were  that  he  should  give  me  a  flask  of  wine,  some 
fruit,  and  a  cake  (for  I  guessed  that  like  all 
sailors  he  had  in  his  possession  things  both  law- 
ful and  unlawful).  These  I  told  him  I  would 
take  to  my  relative  the  Captain.  He  left  me 
with  the  pole  for  a  moment  and  soon  returned 
with  the  provisions,  with  which  I  crept  back 
to  my  hiding-place,  and  there  heartily  consumed 
them. 

' '  During  the  whole  of  the  next  day  I  lay  sleep- 
ing behind  the  bales  of  goods.  With  the  fall  of 
the  second  night  I  needed  a  second  meal.  I  dared 
not  repeat  my  first  experiment,  and  lay  musing 
till,  hunger  having  sharpened  my  wits,  I  hit  upon 
a  plan  with  which  surely  Providence  itself  must 
have  inspired  a  poor  lonely  lad  thrown  in  his 
unaided  weakness  upon  a  cruel  world. 

"I  bethought  me  that  the  watchman  of  either 
board  would  have  some  provision  for  the  night. 
I  remembered  a  sort  of  gangway  between  the 
high  bales  upon  the  main  deck,  which  corridor 
led  back  far  under  the  poop  into  the  stern  sheets. 
It  has  been  so  designed  for  the  convenience  of 
stowing  and  unloading,  affording  a  passage  for 
the  workmen  as  they  handled  the  cargo.  I  put 
these  two  things  together  in  my  mind  (but  to  God 
be  the  glory)  and  formed  of  them  a  plan  for 
immediate  execution. 

''I  crept  from  my  hiding-place  and  sauntered 
along  the  dark  deck  until  I  came  upon  the  watch- 
man, squatting  by  the  rail,  and  contemplating 
the  stars  in  the  moonless  sky.    He  had,  as  I  had 

9 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

suspected,  a  platter  the  white  of  which  I  could 
just  see  glimmering  against  the  deck  beside  him. 
I  thought  I  also  discerned  a  gourd  of  wine.  I 
approached  him  as  one  of  the  crew  (for  they 
were  chance  strangers  taken  on  at  the  wharf). 
We  talked  in  low  tones  of  the  girls  of  Bagdad, 
of  the  police,  of  opportunities  for  theft,  and  of 
such  other  topics  as  are  common  to  the  poor,  till, 
naturally,  we  came  to  wine.  He  cursed  the  poor 
quality  of  his  own,  in  the  gourd  beside  him.  I, 
after  some  mystery,  confided  to  him  that  I  had 
a  stock  of  excellent  wine,  and,  as  my  friendship 
for  him  increased,  I  made  a  clean  breast  of  it 
and  told  him  it  was  in  the  stern  sheets,  far  under 
the  poop  deck  along  the  narrow  passage  between 
the  high  bales.  I  offered  to  go  with  him  and  fetch 
it,  allowing  him,  in  his  eagerness,  to  go  first. 
When  he  was  well  engaged  in  groping  aft  I  turned, 
crept  forward  again  silently  and  rapidly,  picked 
up  the  loaf  and  cheese  which  I  found  on  his  plat- 
ter, as  also  the  gourd,  and  vanished  into  my 
hiding-hole. 

**I  ate  my  fill — though  somewhat  too  hurriedly, 
and  remarked  how  long  a  time  my  shipmate  was 
spending  at  searching  that  empty  place.  As  I 
heard  him  creeping  back  at  last  cursing  vio- 
lently in  whispers,  I  was  aware  of  faint  dawn  in 
the  East,  and  determined  that  my  cruise  must  end. 

''We  were  already  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
sea,  as  I  discovered  by  tasting  the  water  over  the 
side  in  the  darkness  and  discovering  it  to  be  brack- 
ish. I  bethought  me  that  my  poor  comrade  had 
now  an  excellent  reason  for  f erretting  me  out,  that 
the  Captain  also  would  soon  hear  of  me  and  that, 

10 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

with  daylight,  I  should  certainly  be  visited  with  a 
bastinado  or  put  into  chains  and  sold.  I  therefore 
slipped  over  the  side  (for  I  was  an  excellent  swim- 
mer) and  made  for  the  shore.  There  I  lay  on  a 
warm  beach  and  watched  through  the  reeds  the 
great  sail  of  the  ship  as  it  slipped  down-stream 
further  and  further  away  in  the  growing  light. 

''When  the  sun  rose  the  vessel  was  out  of  sight, 
and  looking  about  me  I  discovered  a  little  village 
not  far  from  the  shore  inhabited  by  simple  fisher- 
men, but  containing  several  houses  of  some  preten- 
sion, the  residences  of  wealthy  merchants  who 
came  here  from  Bosra  in  their  moments  of  leisure 
to  relax  themselves  from  the  catch-as-catch-can  of 
conunerce  in  that  neighbouring  city. 

''My  first  action  at  the  opening  of  the  new  day 
was  to  fall  upon  my  knees  and  add  to  the  ritual 
prayer  a  humble  outpouring  of  thanks  for  the 
benefits  I  had  already  received  and  a  fervent 
appeal  for  guidance.  That  appeal  was  heard.  I 
rose  from  my  knees  fuU  of  a  new-found  plan. 

' '  To  one  of  those  wealthier  houses  which  stood 
near  the  village  I  at  once  proceeded  and  sent  in  a 
message  by  a  slave  to  its  owner  saying  that  my 
master,  a  wealthy  dealer  in  carpets,  solicited  the 
custom  of  his  lordship,  and  that  if  the  great  man 
would  but  accompany  me  to  the  quay  I  would  there 
show  him  wares  well  worthy  of  his  attention. 

"It  so  happened  (and  here  was  Providence 
again  at  work)  that  this  merchant  had  a  passion 
for  a  particular  sort  of  carpet  which  is  solely  made 
by  the  inhabitants  of  El  Kzar,  for  they  alone  pos- 
sess the  secret,  which  they  very  zealously  guard. 
The  slave,  therefore,  brought  me  back  the  message 

11 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

that  his  master  would  not  be  at  the  pains  of  accom- 
panying me  unless  such  wares  were  present  for 
his  inspection.  If  my  carpets  were  those  of  El 
Kzar  he  would  willingly  inspect  them,  but  if  they 
were  of  any  other  brand  he  was  indiiferent. 

''And  let  this  teach  you,  my  dear  nephews,  how 
simple  are  the  minds  of  the  rich. 

''I  was  willing  enough  that  the  carpets  should 
be  carpets  of  El  Kazar,  or,  indeed,  of  any  other 
place  under  heaven,  for  all  were  at  my  choice. 

'*I  hastened,  therefore,  to  send  back  a  further 
message  that  by  a  curious  coincidence  we  had  upon 
this  occasion  nothing  else  in  stock  but  Kzaran  car- 
pets, and  begged  the  slave  to  emphasize  this  im- 
portant point  to  his  master. 

''His  reply  was  to  twist  his  right  hand,  palm 
upwards,  with  a  strange  smile.  I  pulled  out  my 
purse,  showed  him  the  shining  dinars,  and  asked 
him  whether  he  would  rather  have  one  now  for  his 
fee  or  five  on  the  completion  of  the  transaction? 
With  glistening  eyes — and  even  (as  I  thought)  a 
pathetic  gratitude — the  slave  leapt  at  the  latter 
offer. 

"And  let  this  teach  you,  my  dear  nephews,  how 
simple  are  the  minds  of  the  poor. 

"He  hastened  off  to  deliver  my  message. 

"Within  a  few  moments  the  master  of  the  house 
appeared  in  great  haste,  and  all  of  a  fever  bade 
me  lead  him  to  the  appointed  spot." 

At  this  moment  the  merchant  paused  and  with 
reverie  and  reminiscence  in  his  eye  remained  silent 
for  at  least  that  space  of  time  in  which  a 
dexterous  pick-pocket  may  gingerly  withdraw  a 
purse  from  the  sleeve  of  a  Holy  Man.     The  sec- 

12 


AL-RAFSAT,  OE  THE  KICK 

ond  nephew  thought  the  opportunity  arrived  to 
suggest  a  doubt  which  had  been  vexing  his  young 
mind.    He  said  with  an  obeisance : 

*' Venerable  uncle,  we  have  listened  to  the  begin- 
nings of  your  career  Avith  admiration  and  respect, 
but  we  are  more  perplexed  than  ever  to  discover 
how  such  beginnings  could  have  led  to  such  an  end. 
For  you  appear  to  us  as  yet  only  to  have  followed 
that  path  which  leads  to  the  torturers  and  the  bow- 
strings." 

' '  Such, ' '  replied  his  uncle,  with  a  look  of  singu- 
lar affection,  '4s  the  general  opinion  entertained 
of  all  very  wealthy  men  in  the  first  steps  of  their 
careers ;  but  I  hope  that  the  sequel  will  teach  you 
and  your  clever  little  brothers  how  wrongly  in- 
formed are  the  vulgar. ' ' 

As  the  Merchant  Mahmoud  pronounced  these 
words  the  Call  to  Prayer  was  heard  from  a  neigh- 
bouring tower,  and  he  hurriedly  concluded : 

*'My  dear  nephews,  we  are  called  to  prayer.  I 
will  cease  here  to  speak  and  will  continue 
to-morrow  the  story  of  Myself  and  Providence." 

Upon  hearing  these  words  his  seven  nephews 
rose  together,  and  crossed  their  arms;  following 
which  gesture,  with  three  deep  bows  performed  as 
they  walked  backwards  toward  the  curtains  of  the 
magnificent   apartment,   they   left   their   uncle's 

presence. 

****** 

*'You  will  remember,  my  dear  nephews,"  said 
the  Merchant  Mahmoud  when  the  lads  were  once 
more  assembled  in  a  half -circle  before  him  with 
crossed  legs  and  attentive  countenances,  ''that  you 
left  me  hurrying  with  the  collector  of  Kzaran  car- 

13 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

pets  towards  the  quay  where  he  should  enjoy  the 
sight  of  the  merchandise.  This  merchant  was 
reputed  among  the  people  of  the  place  to  be  of  a 
singularly  cunning  and  secretive  temperament,  a 
character  which  (you  may  think  it  strange!)  they 
admired  as  though  it  were  the  summit  of  human 
wisdom.  I  confess  that  I  found  him,  in  the  matter 
of  Kzaran  carpets  at  least,  very  different  from  his 
reputation.  A  more  garrulous  old  gentleman 
never  trod  this  earth.  He  was  in  a  perpetual 
stammer  of  excitement,  and  though  I  was  careful 
to  lead  him  by  the  most  roundabout  roads  that  he 
might  have  time  to  cool  his  ardour,  the  delay  did 
but  seem  to  increase  it. 

**  *I  implore  you,  sir,'  he  said  at  last,  as  one 
who  could  no  longer  restrain  some  violent  passion, 
*  I  implore  you,  pay  no  attention  to  others  in  this 
place  who  may  have  attempted  to  forestall  me  in 
the  matter  of  your  very  valuable  cargo.  Your 
honour  is,  I  know,  sufficient  in  the  matter.  ...  I 
am  confident  you  will  give  me  a  free  market.  Also, 
they  know^  nothing  of  Kzaran  carpets  in  these 
parts :  they  are  mere  buyers  and  sellers  .  .  .  and 
on  what  a  margin !  Let  me  tell  you  in  your  ear  that 
while  many  men  in  this  place  carry  on  the  appear- 
ance of  riches,  most  are  indebted  to  Par  sees  in 
the  capital.  I  alone  am  in  an  independent  position 
and'  (here  he  whispered)  *I  can  well  reward  you 
privately  and  in  your  own  pocket  for  any  favour 
you  may  show  me. ' 

*  *  Seeing  him  so  eager,  I  affected  a  certain  hesi- 
tation and  embarrassment,  and  at  last  confessed 
that  I  had  been  approached  by  a  local  merchant 
whose  name  I  was  forbidden  to  mention  and  who 

14 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

had  very  kindly  sent  me  as  a  present  by  a  slave 
the  sum  of  1,000  dinars.  To  this  he  had  attached 
no  conditions,  but  he  had  also,  quite  independently, 
sent  word  that  he  had  himself  orders  for  carpets 
which  he  was  bound  to  fulfil.  His  profit  (he  had 
said),  if  I  would  give  him  a  first  choice,  would  be 
so  considerable  that  he  would  be  very  ready  to 
offer  me  a  handsome  commission  on  the  comple- 
tion of  the  bargain;  quite  apart  from  the  1,000 
dinars  which  were  but  a  little  present  from  one 
man  to  another.  'This  thousand  dinars,'  I  added, 
*now  in  my  possession,  I  have  accepted.  A  pres- 
ent is  a  graceful  act  and  can  be  taken  with  a  clean 
conscience.  But  the  commission  is  another  matter. 
I  must  consider  beyond  everything  the  interests  of 
my  master.  I  shall  not  mention  the  offer  made  to 
me  (for  with  all  his  confidence  in  me  he  is  himself 
a  business  man  and  might  misunderstand  my  posi- 
tion), but  I  shall  think  it  my  duty  to  give  him  no 
advice  save  to  sell  to  the  highest  bidder.' 

"  'It  is  I ! '  shouted  the  aged  connoisseur  eagerly, 
*it  is  I  who  will  prove  the  highest  bidder!  Nay, 
my  dear  fellow,  since  such  bargains  are  often  con- 
cluded in  private,  would  it  not  be  better  to  tell 
your  master  forthwith  that  no  possible  competitor 
can  stand  against  me  in  this  place  ?  Let  him  first 
discover  the  sum  offered  by  my  rival  and  I  give 
you  leave  to  suggest  a  sum  larger  by  one-tenth, 
which  shall  decide  his  judgment.  Meanwhile,'  he 
added,  'two  thousand  dinars  are  but  a  small  pres- 
ent for  one  in  your  position,  and  I  shall  willingly — 
joyfully — propose  to  give  you  that  sum,  not  for  a 
moment  on  account  of  the  service  which  I  am 

15 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

certain  you  design  to  do  me,  but  purely  as  an 
expression  of  my  esteem.' 

''His  excitement  had  now  so  risen  that  I  fear 
his  judgment  was  lost.  Already  he  saw  before  him 
in  his  mind's  eye  a  pile  of  the  noblest  Kzaran 
carpets,  all  ready  for  the  caravan.  Already  he 
saw  a  rival  calmly  acquiring  them  on  the  distant 
wharf,  the  witnesses  placing  their  seals,  the  words 
of  completion. 

' '  He  trembled  as  again  he  urged  on  me  the  lit- 
tle gift,  the  personal  gift,  the  trifling  gift  of  2,000 
dinars. 

' '  '  Sir, '  said  I  in  reply,  a  little  stiffly,  '  I  am  not 
accustomed  to  take  secret  commissions  under  any 
disguise.  My  duty  is  clear :  if  I  cannot  receive  a 
firm  oifer  superior  to  that  already  made  me,  and 
that  backed  with  proof  that  you  are  indeed,  as  you 
say,  the  most  solid  man  in  the  place — then  I  must 
close  with  my  first  client.  If  indeed  I  were  certain 
of  an  immediate  payment  in  a  larger  sum  I  would 
accept  your  proposal.  But  how  can  I  know  any- 
thing of  this  place  1  The  thousand  dinars  of  which 
I  spoke  are  coined  and  in  a  wallet ;  I  have  them 
safe.  With  all  the  respect  due  to  your  age,  I  have 
no  information  upon  your  credit  in  this  town.  And 
I  confess,'  I  added  in  another  tone,  'that  I  am 
acquainted  with  your  rival's  position,  which  is 
perhaps  more  solid  than  you  think.  I  confess  I 
think  it  would  be  simpler  and  to  the  better  interest 
of  our  house  if  I  were  to  go  straight  to  him  now 
and  have  done  with  it.' 

"As  I  spoke  thus  the  old  man  lost  all  reason. 
It  was  piteous  to  see  one  of  his  age  and  venerable 
hairs  dancing  and  spluttering  with  excitement. 

16 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

He  shook  his  fists  in  the  air,  he  called  to  Heaven 
in  shrill  tones,  he  betrayed  all  the  frenzy  of  the 
collector.  He  contrasted  the  mercantile  motives 
of  the  unknown  competitor  with  his  own  passion 
for  Pure  Art.  He  called  Heaven  to  witness  to  the 
reality  of  his  wealth,  and  at  last  in  a  sort  of  fury 
tore  from  his  garments  the  jewels  which  orna- 
mented them,  thrust  into  my  hand  all  the  cash 
upon  his  person  (it  was  in  a  leather  bag,  and 
amounted  altogether  to  no  more  than  500  dinars), 
added  to  this  a  brooch  of  gold,  which  he  dragged 
from  his  scarf,  and  said  that  if  this  instalment 
were  not  a  sufficient  proof  of  his  good  faith  and 
credit  he  knew  not  how  to  move  me. 

'*I  shrugged  my  shoulders  and  suggested  that 
instead  of  making  so  violent  a  protestation  and  at 
such  risk  to  his  fortune  he  should  go  back  soberly 
to  his  house  and  return  with  an  instrument  of 
credit  and  two  witnesses  (as  the  law  demands), 
while  I  awaited  him  patiently  at  that  spot.  I,  at 
least,  was  in  no  haste  and  would  honourably  abide 
his  return.  He  was  off  at  a  speed  which  I  should 
never  have  thought  possible  at  his  age. 

**I  waited  until  he  had  turned  the  corner  of  a 
distant  hedge  of  prickly  pears,  and  not  until  he 
was  quite  out  of  sight  did  I  gather  the  jewels,  the 
coins,  and  the  precious  ornaments  which  in  his 
haste  he  had  thrown  at  my  feet,  and  very  rapidly 
betake  myself  in  the  opposite  direction. 

* '  Never  was  the  Mercy  of  Allah  more  evidently 
extended.  The  plain  was  naked  outside  the  town, 
the  river  perhaps  a  mile  distant ;  my  plight,  as  it 
might  appear,  desperate.  I  pinned  the  gold  brooch 
to  my  cloak,  I  distributed  the  jewels  openly  upon 

17 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

various  parts  of  my  person,  and  I  proceeded  at  a 
smart  pace  over  the  open  plain  towards  the  river. 
It  was  with  the  greatest  joy  that  I  found  upon  its 
bank  two  fishermen  about  to  set  sail  and  proceed 
down-stream  to  sea.  Their  presence  inspired  me 
with  a  plan  for  escape. 

"I  chatted  negligently  with  them  (still  keeping 
one  eye  upon  the  distant  house  of  my  aged  but 
'excitable  friend).  At  last  with  a  light  laugh  I 
offered  one  of  them  a  piece  of  gold,  saying  that  I 
should  be  pleased  to  try  the  novel  experience  of  a 
little  cruise.  The  fisherman,  who  was  quite  un- 
acquainted with  so  much  wealth,  and  seemed  some- 
what awestruck,  gave  me  some  grand  title  or 
'  other,  and  promised  me  very  good  sport  with  the 
fish  and  a  novel  entertainment.  But  even  as  he 
and  his  companion  pushed  out  from  shore  I  turned 
in  my  seat  on  the  deck  and  perceived  in  the  plain 
a  rising  dust  which  betrayed  the  approach  of  the 
merchant  with  his  witnesses  and  a  company  of 
his  slaves. 

*'  Suddenly  changing  my  expression  from  one  of 
pleased  though  wearied  expectancy  to  one  of  acute 
alarm,  I  shouted  to  my  new  companions:  ''Push 
away  for  your  lives,  and  stretch  your  sail  to  its 
utmost!  These  are  the  Commissioners  sent  by 
the  Caliph  to  re-assess  and  tax  all  fishing-boats 
upon  a  new  valuation!  Already  had  they  seized 
three  upon  the  beach  when  I  left  and  found  you 
here ! ' 

*' At  these  words  the  worthy  fellows  were 
inspired  by  a  fear  even  greater  than  my  own. 
They  manfully  pushed  into  the  swiftest  part  of 
the  current,  and,  though  a  smart  breeze  was  blow- 

18 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

ing,  hoisted  every  inch  of  the  sail,  so  that  the  boat 
ran  with  her  gunwale  upon  the  very  edge  of  the 
water  and  was  indeed  dangerously  pressed.  But 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  merchant  and 
his  retinue  vainly  descending  the  river-bank,  at 
perhaps  one-half  our  speed,  calling  down  curses 
upon  us,  threatening  with  their  fists,  shouting 
their  public  titles  of  authority,  their  menaces  of 
the  law,  and  in  every  way  confirming  my  excellent] 
pair  of  fishermen  in  the  story  I  had  told  them. 

'^It  was  a  pleasant  thing  to  loll  on  deck  under 
the  heat  of  the  day,  toying  with  the  valuable  orna- 
ments I  had  so  recently  acquired  and  lazily  watch- 
ing my  companions  as  they  sweated  at  the  hal- 
yards, or  alternatively  glancing  along  towards  the 
shore  at  the  little  group  of  disappointed  people 
which  fell  so  rapidly  behind  us  as  we  bowled  down 
the  tide.  Soon  their  features  were  no  longer 
plain,  then  their  figures  could  scarcely  be  distin- 
guished. The  last  impression  conveyed  to  me  was 
of  some  little  very  distant  thing,  stamping  with 
impotent  rage  and  shaking  wild  arms  against  the 
sky.  I  could  not  but  deplore  so  grievous  a  lapse 
in  dignity  in  one  so  venerable. 

"When  we  were  well  away  from  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  city  I  asked  the  fishermen  whither  they 
were  bound;  to  which  they  answered  that  their 
business  was  only  to  cruise  about  outside  and  fish 
during  the  night,  returning  at  dawn  with  their 
catch.  'Would  it  not  be  better,'  I  suggested,  'see- 
ing that  these  rapacious  fellows  will  hang  about 
for  a  day  or  so,  to  carry  me  to  some  town  of  your 
acquaintance  along  the  coast  where  the  reigning 
powers  do  not  suffer  from  the  tyranny  of  Bagdad? 

19 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

For  my  part  I  am  free  to  travel  where  I  will,  and 
the  prospect  of  a  change  pleases  me.  I  shall  be 
happy,'  said  I,  'to  reward  the  sacrifice  of  your 
catch  with  fifty  dinars. ' 

''At  the  prospect  of  much  further  wealth  the 
fishermen  were  at  once  convinced:  they  sang  in 
the  lightness  of  their  hearts,  and  for  three  days 
and  three  nights  we  sped  down  the  Gulf,  passing 
bleak  mountains  and  deserted  rocky  promontories, 
until  upon  the  fourth  day  we  came  to  a  town  the 
like  of  which  I  had  never  seen. 

"  'Shall  we  land  here?'  said  1. 

"  'No,'  said  the  fishermen,  'for  it  is  in  a  man- 
ner within  the  Caliph's  dominions,  and  perhaps 
that  accursed  tax  of  which  you  spoke  will  be 
levied  here  also.' 

"  'You  know  better  than  I,'  replied  I  thought- 
fully, standing  for  a  moment  in  affected  perplex- 
ity. 'Let  me,  however,  land  in  your  little  boat.  I 
have  a  passion  for  new  places.  I  will  come  out  to 
you  again  after  the  hour  of  the  mid-day  prayers, 
while  you  stand  in  the  offing. ' 

"To  this  arrangement  they  readily  consented. 
I  rowed  to  the  land,  and  when  I  had  reached  the 
shore  I  was  pleased  to  see  my  fearful  hosts  quite 
three  miles  out  upon  the  hot  and  shimmering  sea. 
Gazing  at  them,  I  hope  with  charity,  and  certainly 
with  interest,  I  pushed  the  little  boat  adrift  (for 
I  had  no  reason  to  return  to  those  poor  people) 
and  made  my  way  inland.  I  disposed  of  my 
jewelery  at  prices  neither  low  nor  high  with  local 
merchants.  I  preserved  the  old  fellow's  golden 
brooch,  which  I  imagined  (for  I  am  a  trifle  weak 
and  superstitious)  might  bring  me  good  fortune, 

20 


AL-RAFSAT,  OR  THE  KICK 

and  when  all  my  transactions  were  accomplished 
I  counted  my  total  capital,  and  found  myself  in 
possession  of  no  less  than  1,500  dinars.  The  cold 
of  the  evening  had  come  by  the  time  my  accounts 
were  settled  and  the  strings  of  my  pouch  were 
drawn.  I  set  myself  under  an  arbour  where  a  deli- 
cious fountain  played  in  the  light  of  the  setting 
sun,  which  shone  over  the  waters  of  the  sea,  and 
drinking  some  local  beverage  the  name  of  which 
I  knew  not,  but  the  taste  and  effect  of  which  were 
equally  pleasing,  I  reflected  upon  my  increase  of 
fortune. 

*'  *You  left  home,  Mahmoud,*  said  I  to  myself, 
*with  one  hundred  dinars,  of  which  your  excellent 
and  careful  father  deprived  himself  rather  than 
see  you  face  the  world  unarmed,  or  himself  receive 
the  bastinado.  You  have  been  gone  from  home  a 
week ;  you  are  perhaps  some  800  miles  from  your 
native  city;  your  capital  has  been  multiplied 
fifteen-fold,  and  so  far  you  may  look  with  an  eager 
courage  towards  the  further  adventures  of  your 
life,  for  very  clearly  the  Mercy  of  Allah  is  upon 
you.'  " 

At  this  moment  a  nasal  hooting  from  the  neigh- 
bourhood turret  warned  the  company  to  turn  their 
thoughts  to  heaven.  The  boys,  who  had  sat  fascin- 
ated by  their  uncle 's  recital,  knew  that  the  end  of 
their  entertainment  had  come.  The  third  son  of 
the  Surgeon  was  therefore  impatient  to  exclaim 
(as  he  hurriedly  did) :  ''But,  dear  uncle,  though 
we  see  that  a  certain  chance  favoured  you,  and 
not  only  your  native  talents,  yet  we  do  not  per- 
ceive how  all  this  led  to  any  main  road  to  fortune.  '* 

''My  boy,"  said  the  Merchant  Mahmoud,  pen- 
21 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

sively  stroking  his  beard  and  gazing  vacuously 
over  the  heads  of  the  youngsters.  '^I  do  not  pre- 
tend to  unfold  you  any  such  plan.  Have  I  not  told 
you  that  did  such  a  plan  exist  all  would  be  in  pos- 
session of  it  ?  I  am  but  retailing  you  in  my  humble 
fashion  the  steps  by  which  one  merchant  in  this 
city  has  been  raised  by  the  Infinite  Goodness  of 
the  Merciful  (His  named  be  adored!)  from  pov- 
erty to  riches.  .  .  .  But  the  call  for  prayer  has 
already  been  heard  and  we  must  part.  Upon  this 
same  day  of  next  week,  shortly  after  the  last  of 
the  public  executions  has  been  bungled,  you  shall 
again  come  and  hear  me  recite  the  next  chapter  of 
my  varied  career.'* 


<v 


^^^\ 


AL-DURAR 

That  is; 
The  Peahls 


CHAPTER  n 

ENTITLED   AL-DURAR,   OR  THE   PEARLS 

A  WEEK  later,  at  the  hour  of  Pubhc  Execu- 
tions and  Beheadings,  the  seven  boys  were 
again  assembled  cross-legged  at  the  feet  of  their 
revered  uncle,  who,  when  he  had  refreshed  them 
with  cold  water,  and  himself  with  a  curious  concoc- 
tion of  fermented  barley,  addressed  them  as  fol- 
lows: 

''You  will  remember,  my  lads,  how  I  was  left  cut 
off  from  my  dear  home  and  from  all  companions, 
in  a  strange  country,  and  with  no  more  than  1,500 
dinars  with  which  to  face  the  world.  This  sum 
may  seem  to  you  large,  but  I  can  assure  you  that 
to  the  operations  of  commerce"  (and  here  the 
merchant  yawned)  "it  is  but  a  drop  in  the  ocean; 
and  I  had  already  so  far  advanced  during  one 
brief  week  in  my  character  of  Financier  that  I 
gloomily  considered  how  small  a  sum  that  1,500 
was  wherewith  to  meet  the  cunning,  the  gluttony, 
and  the  avarice  of  this  great  world.  But  a  brief 
sleep  (which  I  took  under  a  Baobab  tree  to  save 
the  cost  of  lodging)  refreshed  at  once  my  body 
and  my  intelligence,  and  with  the  next  morning 
I  was  ready  to  meet  the  world." 

Here  the  merchant  coughed  slightly,  and  ad- 
dressing his  nephews  said:  ''You  have  doubtless 
been  instructed  at  school  upon  the  nature  of  the 
Baobab?" 

"We  have,"  replied  his  nephews,  and  they  re- 
cited in  chorus  the  descriptions  which  they  had 

25 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

been  taught  by  heart  from  the  text-books  of  their 
Academy. 

**I  am  pleased,"  replied  their  uncle,  smiling,  **to 
discover  you  thus  informed.  You  will  appreciate 
how  ample  a  roof  this  singular  vegetable  affords. 

''Well,  I  proceeded  under  the  morning  sun 
through  a  pleasantly  wooded  and  rising  country, 
considering  by  what  contrivance  of  usury  or  de- 
ceit I  might  next  increase  my  capital,  when  I  saw 
in  the  distance  the  groves  and  white  buildings  of 
an  unwalled  town,  to  which  (since  large  places, 
especially  if  they  are  not  war-like,  furnish  the  best 
field  for  the  enterprise  of  a  Captain  of  Industry) 
I  proceeded;  .  .  .  and  there,  by  the  Mercy  of 
Allah,  there  befell  me  as  singular  an  adventure  as 
perhaps  ever  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  man. 

*'I  had  not  taken  up  my  place  in  the  local  cara- 
vanserai for  more  than  an  hour — I  had  met  no 
likely  fool,  and  my  plans  for  the  future  were  still 
vague  in  my  head — ^when  an  old  gentleman  of  great 
dignity,  followed  by  an  obsequious  officer  and  no 
less  than  six  Ethiopian  slaves,  approached  me  with 
deep  reverence,  and  profferring  me  a  leathern 
pouch,  of  a  foreign  kind,  the  like  of  which  I  had 
never  seen  before,  asked  me  whether  I  were  not 
the  young  man  who  had  inadvertently  left  it  upon 
a  prayer-stone  at  a  shrine  outside  the  city. 

**I  seized  the  pouch  with  an  eager  air,  held  it 
up  in  transports  of  joy,  and  kissing  it  again  and 
again  said, '  Oh !  my  benefactor !  How  can  I  suffi- 
ciently thank  you !  It  is  my  father 's  last  gift  to 
me  and  is  all  my  viaticum  as  well ! '  with  which  I 
fell  to  kissing  and  fondling  it  again,  pressing  it  to 
my  heart  and  so  discovered  it  to  be  filled  with 
coins — as  indeed  I  had  suspected  it  to  be. 

26 


AL-DURAR,  OR  THE  PEARLS 

**Into  so  active  an  emotion  had  I  roused  myself 
that  my  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  the  good  old 
man  himself  was  greatly  affected.  'I  must  warn 
you,  young  stranger, '  he  said  paternally,  '  against 
this  thoughtlessness  so  common  in  youth !  A  great 
loss  indeed  had  it  been  for  you,  if  we  had  not  had 
the  good  fortune  to  recover  your  property.' 

*'You  may  imagine  my  confusion,  my  dear 
nephews,  at  finding  that  I  had  been  guilty  of  so 
intolerable  a  fault.  I  blushed  with  confusion;  I 
most  heartily  thanked  the  old  gentleman,  not  for 
his  integrity  (which  it  would  have  been  insulting 
to  mention  to  one  of  his  great  wealth)  but  for  the 
pains  he  had  taken  to  seek  out  a  careless  young 
man  and  to  prevent  his  suffering  loss. 

'*  *Nay,'  said  that  aged  gentleman  to  me  with  a 
low  and  pleasant  laugh,  'you  must  not  thank  me. 
Perhaps  had  I  myself  come  upon  the  treasure  I 
might  have  thought  it  too  insignificant  to  restore. 
But  you  must  know  that  I  am  the  Chief  Magistrate 
of  this  city  and  that  last  evening  my  oflScer  noticed 
from  some  distance  a  young  man,  apparently  a 
stranger  to  this  city,  whom  he  describes  as  of  your 
height  and  features,  rise  from  the  prayer-stone, 
but  leave  behind  him  some  object  which,  in  the 
gathering  dusk,  he  could  not  distinguish.  On  his 
approach  he  found  it  was  this  purse  of  yours 
which  some  boys  had  already  found  and  were  quar- 
relling over,  when  he  took  it  from  them.  He 
brought  it  to  me  with  some  description  of  your 
person :  I  thought  you  might  well  be  at  this  cara- 
vanserai and  brought  it  with  me:  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  my  officer,  who  now  accom- 
panies me,  recognize  you  as  we  approached. '    That 

27 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

functionary  bowed  to  me  and  I  to  him  most  cere- 
moniously, and  as  I  did  so  I  was  rapidly  revolving 
in  my  head  what  I  had  better  do  if  the  real  owner 
should  appear.  I  was  torn  between  two  plans: 
whether  to  denounce  him  as  a  thief  before  he 
could  speak,  or  to  run  off  at  top  speed. 

''This  preoccupation  I  dismissed  lest  the  anxi- 
ety of  it  should  appear  upon  my  face. 

"I  again  thanked  this  good  old  man  most 
warmly  and  we  entered  into  a  familiar  conversa- 
tion. What  was  my  delight  at  the  close  of  it  when 
he  bade  me  without  ceremony  accept  of  his  hospi- 
tality and  come  home  to  take  a  meal  with  him  in 
his  palace.  I  was  eager  for  further  adventures, 
and  accompanied  him  with  the  greatest  joy. 

''Reclining  at  table,  where  there  was  served  (as 
I  need  hardly  inform  my  dear  nephews)  lamb 
stuffed  with  pistachio  nuts,  the  old  man  asked  me 
whence  I  had  come,  what  was  my  trade,  and 
whither  I  was  proceeding. 

"I  answered  (as  I  thought,  prudently)  that  I 
had  come  from  Aleppo,  that  I  had  been  entrusted 
by  my  father  with  the  sum  in  the  purse  he  had  so 
kindly  restored  to  me,  in  order  to  purchase  pearls, 
and  that  when  the  purchase  was  completed  I  had 
instructions  to  sell  them  in  India  in  a  market 
where  my  father  was  assured  that  pearls  were 
rare  and  fetched  the  highest  prices. 

"  'This  is  indeed  well  found!'  exclaimed  the  old 
man,  with  enthusiasm.  'I  am  myself  seeking  for 
some  one  to  whom  I  may  sell  a  magnificent  collec- 
tion of  pearls  inherited  from  my  great-grand- 
mother, an  Indian  Begum.  The  old  woman,'  he 
added  nonchalantly  enough,  'was  a  miser;    she 

28 


AL-DURAR,  OR  THE  PEARLS 

kept  the  drops  higgledy-piggledy  in  an  old  cedar- 
wood  box,  and  I  confess  myself  quite  ignorant  of 
their  value.  Moreover,  as  I  have  taken  a  liking  to 
you,  I  shall  let  you  fix  your  own  price,  for  I  should 
much  like  to  remember  when  my  time  comes  that 
I  had  helped  a  friendless  man  in  his  first  step  to 
fortune;  only,  I  am  a  little  ashamed  to  appear 
to  be  making  money  out  of  an  heirloom ! ' 

''While  the  old  gentleman  so  spoke  I  was 
rapidly  revolving  in  my  mind  what  motive  he 
could  have  for  such  an  affection  of  indifference  to 
wealth,  w^hen  I  recollected  that  he  was  the  Chief 
Magistrate  of  the  city,  and  immediately  concluded 
that  these  pearls,  being  the  property  of  local  peo- 
ple, and  obtained  by  him  for  nothing  by  way  of 
bribes  and  other  legal  channels,  he  would  both 
desire  to  have  them  sold  at  a  distance  and  would 
let  them  go  cheap. 

' '  'Nay, '  continued  he,  seeing  that  I  hesitated  as 
these  thoughts  occurred  to  me,  'I  will  take  no 
denial.  For  me  it  is  but  a  mere  riddance,  and 
for  you  a  most  excellent  bargain.  Come,  I  trust 
your  honest  face  and  youthful  candour.  You  shall 
take  them  at  your  own  price!  And  I  will  even 
advise  you  of  the  city  of  India  where  you  will  find 
your  best  market.' 

"Put  thus,  the  offer,  I  will  confess,  attracted 
me ;  but  I  had  already  learned  the  wickedness  of 
mankind  (though  not  as  yet,  I  am  glad  to  say,  my 
dear  nephews,  at  my  own  expense),  and  I  said 
that  I  would  at  least  so  far  meet  him  as  to  take 
the  jewels  to'^a  local  merchant,  invent  some  tale, 
as  though  they  were  my  own,  and  see  what  sum 
might  be  offered  for  them.    Only  when  I  thus  had 

29 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

some  measure  of  their  value  could  I  honourably 
make  an  offer.  I  continued  at  some  length  in  this 
strain,  expressing  a  humble  inability  to  judge,  and 
the  fear  lest  my  capital  might  not  be  sufficient 
(which  he  pooh-poohed).  I  stipulated,  for  a  rea- 
son you  will  soon  perceive,  that  a  slave  of  his 
should  accompany  me — if  only  as  a  matter  of 
routine — for  (said  I)  I  was  very  jealous  of  my 
honour.  He  agreed,  though  he  was  good  enough 
to  call  it  a  pure  formality. 

''I  left  the  aged  magistrate  with  many  thanks 
and,  accompanied  by  the  slave,  proceeded  with  the 
pearls  to  the  jewel  merchants'  quarter  in  the 
Bazaar.  I  stopped  before  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  reputed  booths,  and  spreading  the  pearls  be- 
fore the  merchant  told  him  that  I  was  compelled 
to  sell  these  under  order  from  authority  as  the 
end  of  a  family  dispute,  to  pay  the  dowry  of  my 
sister ;  that  I  therefore  was  in  haste  to  settle  and 
would  take  the  least  price  he  might  choose  to  men- 
tion within  reason.  I  was,  said  I,  wholly  in  his 
hands.  It  was  urgent  for  me  that  the  bargain 
should  be  quickly  completed,  but  before  I  could  re- 
ceive his  cash  I  must  hear  the  lowest  figure  he 
would  name. 

^'Wliile  I  thus  spoke  the  slave  stood  respect- 
fully behind  me  and  listened  to  our  conversation. 
The  jewel  merchant  said  that  no  class  of  merchan- 
dise was  more  distasteful  to  him  than  pearls; 
there  was  at  this  moment  no  market  for  them.  It 
was  impossible  to  purchase  them  save  properly  set 
and  in  regular  sizes ;  and  finally  it  was  well  known 
that  pearls  were  the  most  unlucky  of  gems.  It  was 
quite  impossible  for  him  to  offer  more  than  10,000 

30 


AL-DURAR,  OR  THE  PEARLS 

dinars,  and  even  so  he  would  doubtless  be  the  loser 
by  the  transaction. 

''When  I  heard  this  I  rapidly  wrote  upon  a  slip 
of  paper  the  following  words : 

**  *My  Lord, — The  chief  merchant  in  this  city 
estimates  your  jewels  at  10,000  dinars.  I  cannot, 
alas,  provide  that  sum,  and  therefore  I  cannot 
honestly  make  an  offer  myself  as  I  had  hoped ;  if 
you  desire  to  have  them  sold  here  I  will  faithfully 
execute  your  commission,  but  if  you  prefer  that  I 
should  return  them  to  you  send  me  word.  Mean- 
while, I  will  still  bargain  here  awaiting  your 
reply.  * 

**I  sent  this  note  by  the  slave  and  begged  him  to 
give  it  to  his  master  and  to  bring  me  an  answer. 
The  slave  went  off,  and  when  I  judged  him  to  be 
well  out  of  hearing  I  turned  and  said  to  the  mer- 
chant, sighing:  'Well,  since  you  offer  no  more  I 
must  take  what  you  offer;  the  slave  whom  you 
saw  me  despatch  carried  the  news  to  my  family; 
I  burn  when  I  think  of  how  their  scorn  will  mock 
my  humiliation.  I  therefore  said  nothing  true  of 
the  price.  Indeed,  I  have  set  it  down  in  that  note 
as  something  much  higher.  But  I  submit,  for,  as  I 
told  you,  I  am  pressed.  Come,  count  me  the 
money,  and  I  will  away.' 

"The  merchant,  after  I  had  handed  over  the 
pearls,  counted  me  the  money  into  yet  another 
large  leathern  bag,  which  I  shouldered,  and  with 
rapid  steps  bore  out  of  the  Bazaar  and  soon  out  of 
the  town  itself,  by  a  gate  called  the  Bab-el-Jaffur, 
that  is,  the  gate  of  innocence. 

"Beyond  the  town  walls  was  a  long  roll  of  dusty 
31 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

'  sloping  land  set  here  and  there  with  dusty  stunted 
bushes  and  having  beyond  it  a  high  range  of  desert 
hills.  A  track  led  roughly  rising  across  it,  away 
from  the  town. 

''I  followed  this  track  for  one  hour  and  then  sat 
down  (for  my  new  fortune  was  heavy)  and  rested. 

*'As  I  thought  it  probable  that  my  good  old 
friend  himself  would  return  speedily  with  his 
slave  to  the  Bazaar,  and  as  the  complication  of  the 
affair  might  embroil  me,  I  hid  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  day  squeezed  in  a  jackal's  earth  beneath 
a  bank.  Before  nightfall  I  ventured  out  and  gazed 
about  me,  leaving  my  original  pouch,  my  windfall 
and  my  big  leathern  bag  of  10,000  dinars  in  the 
jackal's  earth  while  I  surveyed  the  track. 

'*It  was  the  hour  I  love  above  all  others. 

* '  The  sun  had  just  set  beyond  the  distant  ocean 
towards  which  my  face  was  turned,  and  between 
me  and  which,  upon  the  plain  below — for  I  had 
come  to  the  rise  of  the  mountain  side — lay  the 
beautiful  city  I  had  just  left.  The  fragrant  smoke 
of  cedar  wood  rose  from  some  of  its  roofs  as  the 
evening  fell.  There  was  still  hanging  in  the  air 
the  coloured  dust  of  evening  above  the  roads  of 
entry,  and  there  came  faintly  through  the  dis- 
tance the  cry  of  the  Muezzin. 

"I  was  not  so  entranced  by  the  natural  beauty 
of  the  scene  as  to  neglect  the  duty  which  this 
sound  recalled.  I  fell  immediately  upon  my  knees 
and  was  careful  to  add  to  the  accustomed  prayers 
of  that  hour  my  heart-felt  thanks  for  the  Guidance 
and  the  Grace  which  had  so  singularly  increased 
my  fortunes  in  the  last  few  hours. 

**As  I  rose  from  these  devotions  I  heard  upon 

32 


AL-DURAR,  OE  THE  PEARLS 

my  right  a  low  wailing  sound  and  was  astonished 
to  discover  there,  seated  hopelessly  beneath  a 
small  shrub  and  waving  his  hands  in  grief,  a  young 
man  of  much  my  own  height  and  appearance :  but 
I  flatter  myself  that  not  even  in  my  most  careful 
assumptions  of  innocence  have  I  ever  worn  such  a 
booby  face. 

* '  He  was  swaying  slowly  from  side  to  side,  and 
as  he  did  so  moaning  a  ceaseless  plaint,  the  words 
of  which  I  caught  and  which  touched  me  to  the 
heart.  Over  and  over  again  he  recited  his  irre- 
parable loss.  He  had  but  that  small  sum !  It  was 
his  patrimony!  His  sole  security!  How  should 
he  answer  for  it?  who  should  now  support  him? 
or  what  should  he  dof 

* '  So  he  wailed  to  himself  in  miserable  monotone 
till  I  could  bear  it  no  longer,  for  I  saw  that  I  had 
by  a  singular  coincidence  come  upon  that  poor 
young  man  whose  pouch  I  had  been  given  in  error 
by  the  magistrate  of  the  city. 

**I  bowed  before  him.  He  noticed  me  listlessly 
enough  and  asked  me  what  I  would.  I  told  him  I 
thought  I  could  give  him  comfort.  Was  it  not  he, 
said  I,  who  had  left  a  certain  pouch  (I  carefully 
described  it)  containing  sundry  coins  upon  a 
prayer-stone  outside  the  city  at  this  very  same 
sunset  hour  of  the  day  before?  His  despair  was 
succeeded  by  a  startling  eagerness.  He  leapt  to 
his  feet,  seized  my  arm,  rose  feverishly  and  im- 
plored me  to  tell  him  further. 

'*  'Alas,'  I  said,  'what  I  have  to  tell  you  is  but 
little !  I  fear  to  raise  your  hopes  too  high — but  at 
any  rate  I  can  put  you  upon  the  track  of  your 
property. ' 

33 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

**  *Sir,'  said  he,  resuming  his  hopeless  tone  for 
a  moment,  *I  have  already  done  my  best.  I  went 
to  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  city  to  claim  it  and 
was  met  by  an  officer  of  his  who  told  me  that  the 
purse  had  already  been  delivered  to  its  owner,  sus- 
pected my  claim  and  bade  me  return.  But  how 
shall  I  prove  that  it  is  mine,  or  how,  indeed,  receive 
it,  since  the  abominable  thief  who  took  possession 
of  it  must  by  now  be  already  far  away  ? ' 

**  *You  do  him  an  injustice,'  said  I.  *It  is  pre- 
cisely of  him  whom  you  uncharitably  call  a  thief 
that  I  would  speak  to  you.  You  think  that  he  is 
far  away,  whereas  he  is  really  at  your  hand  when- 
ever you  choose  to  act,  for  this  is  the  message 
that  I  bring  you.  He  awaits  you  even  now,  and 
if  you  will  present  yourself  to  him  he  will  restore 
your  property. ' 

*  *  *  How  can  you  know  this  ? '  said  the  young  man, 
gazing  at  me  doubtfully.  *By  what  coincidence 
have  you  any  knowledge  of  the  affair  1 ' 

"  *It  is  simple  enough,'  said  L  *This  person  to 
whom  your  purse  was  given,  and  I,  were  in  the 
same  inn.  We  fell  to  talking  of  our  adventures 
along  the  road,  for  he  also  was  a  stranger,  and 
he  told  me  the  singular  tale  how  he  had  recovered 
from  the  authorities  a  purse  which  he  honestly 
thought  his  own,  for  it  was  very  like  one 
which  he  himself  possessed;  but  that  on  finding 
his  own  purse  later  on  in  his  wallet  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  regret  at  the  thought  of  the  loss  he 
had  occasioned ;  at  the  same  time  he  made  me  his 
confidant,  telling  me  that  he  intended  to  restore  it 
this  very  evening  at  sunset  to  the  authorities  and 
that  any  one  claiming  it  after  that  hour  and  prov- 

34 


AL-DURAR,  OR  THE  PEARLS 

ing  it  was  his  could  recover  it  at  the  public  offices. 
But  he  warned  me  of  one  thing:  the  officers  (he 
told  me)  were  convinced  (from  what  indication  I 
know  not,  perhaps  from  the  presence  of  something 
in  the  purse,  or  perhaps  from  something  they  had 
heard)  that  the  owner  dealt  in  pearls.' 

''Here  the  young  man  interrupted  me,  and  as- 
sured me  he  had  never  bought  or  sold  pearls  in 
his  life,  nor  thought  of  doing  so. 

''I  answered  that  no  doubt  this  was  so.  But 
that  when  the  authorities  had  a  whim  it  was  well 
to  humour  them.  He  would  therefore  do  well  to 
approach  the  officer  who  guarded  the  gate  of  the 
Chief  Magistrate's  house,  with  the  simple  words, 
*I  am  the  Seller  of  Pearls,'  on  hearing  which  his 
path  would  be  made  smooth  for  him,  and  he  would 
receive  his  belongings. 

' '  The  young  man  thanked  me  heartily ;  he  even 
warmly  embraced  me  for  the  good  news  I  had 
given  him,  and  felt,  I  fear,  that  his  purse  and  his 
small  fortune  were  already  restored  to  him.  It 
was  a  gallant  sight  to  see  him  in  the  last  of  the 
light  swinging  down  the  mountain  side  with  a  new 
life  in  him,  and  I  sincerely  regretted  from  my 
heart  the  necessity  under  which  I  was  to  imperil 
his  liberty  and  life.  But  you  will  agree  with  me, 
my  dear  nephews,  that  I  could  not  possibly  afford 
to  have  him  at  large. 

''When  he  had  gone  and  when  it  was  fully  night, 
there  being  no  moon  and  only  the  stars  in  the 
warm  dark  sky,  I  rapidly  took  my  burdens  from 
their  hiding-place  and  proceeded,  though  with 
some  difficulty,  up  the  mountain  side,  staggering 
under  such  a  weight,  and  deviating  from  the  track 

35 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

so  that  there  should  be  less  chance  of  finding  my- 
self interrupted. 

^'I  slept  for  a  few  hours.  I  awoke  at  dawn.  I 
counted  my  total  fortune,  and  found  that  it  was 
just  about  12,000  dinars,  the  most  of  it  in  silver. 

' '  Carefully  concealing  it  again,  I  left  its  hiding- 
place  and  glided  round  the  mountain  until  I  came 
to  a  place  where  a  new  track  began  to  appear, 
which  led  to  a  neighbouring  village.  Here  I  bought 
an  ass,  and  returning  with  it  to  my  hiding-place 
and  setting  my  treasure  upon  it  I  went  off  at  ran- 
dom to  spend  the  day  in  travelling  as  rapidly  as  I 
might  away  from  the  neighbourhood  by  the  most 
deserted  regions. 

' '  I  came,  a  little  before  sunset,  upon  a  hermit 's 
cave,  where  I  was  hospitably  entertained  and  the 
tenant  of  which  refused  all  reward,  asking  me  only 
to  pray  for  him,  as  he  was  certain  that  the  prayers 
of  youth  and  innocence  would  merit  him  a  high 
place  in  Heaven. 

''With  this  holy  man  I  remained  for  some  four 
or  five  days,  passing  my  time  at  leisure  in  his 
retreat  among  the  mountains,  and  feeding  my  don- 
key upon  the  dried  grasses  which  I  brought  in  by 
armfuls  at  dusk  from  the  w^oodlands.  Upon  the 
fifth  day  of  this  concealment  the  hermit  came  in 
pensive  and  sad,  and  said  to  me : 

*'  'My  son,  with  every  day  the  wickedness  of  this 
world  increases,  and  the  judgment  of  God  will 
surely  fall  upon  it  in  a  devastating  fire !  I  have 
but  just  heard  that  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  our 
capital  city,  using  as  a  dupe  an  innocent  stranger, 
sold  to  one  of  the  great  jewellers  of  the  place  for 
no  less  than  10,000  dinars  a  quantity  of  pearls, 

36 


AL-DURAR,  OR  THE  PEARLS 

every  one  of  which  now  turns  out  to  be  false  and 
valueless!  Nay,  I  am  told  that  the  largest  are 
made  of  nothing  but  wax!  And,  what  is  worse, 
not  content  with  this  first  wickedness,  the  magis- 
trate under  the  plea  that  the  young  stranger  had 
disappeared  confiscated  the  gems  again  and  had 
the  poor  merchant  most  severely  beaten !  But — 
worse  and  worse!  the  poor  youth  having  inno- 
cently returned  that  very  night  to  the  city,  was 
seized  by  the  guard  and  beheaded.  Ya,  ya,'  said 
the  good  old  man,  throwing  up  his  hands,  Hhe 
days  increase,  and  their  evil  increases  with 
them!'  " 

At  this  moment  the  hoarse  and  discordant  voice 
of  the  Public  Crier  croaked  its  first  note  from  the 
neighbouring  turret,  and  the  nephews,  who  had  sat 
enraptured  at  their  uncle 's  tale,  knew  that  it  was 
time  to  disperse.  The  eldest  brother  therefore 
said: 

"0  uncle;  before  we  go  let  me  express  the 
thanks  of  all  of  us  for  your  enrapturing  story. 
But  let  me  also  express  our  bewilderment  at  the 
absence  of  all  plan  in  your  singular  adventures. 
For  though  we  have  listened  minutely  to  all  you 
have  said,  we  cannot  discover  what  art  you 
showed  in  the  achievement  of  any  purpose.  For 
instance,  how  could  you  know  that  the  pearls  were 
false!" 

*^I  did  not  know  it,  my  dear  nephew,"  replied 
the  great  Merchant  with  beautiful  simplicity,  *'and 
the  whole  was  the  Mercy  of  Allah !  .  .  .  But  come, 
the  hour  of  prayer  is  announced,  and  we  must,  fol- 
lowing the  invariable  custom  of  the  Faithful,  make 
yet  another  joint  in  my  singular  tale.     Come, 

37 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

therefore,  on  this  day  week,  shortly  after  the  last 
of  the  public  executions  of  the  vulgar,  and  I  will 
tell  you  of  my  further  fortunes:  for  you  must 
understand  that  the  12,000  dinars  of  which  my 
story  now  leaves  me  possessed  are" — and  here  the 
honest  old  man  yawned  again  and  waved  his 
hand — *'but  a  flea-bite  to  a  man  like  me.'* 

His  seven  little  nephews  bowed  repeatedly,  and, 
walking  backwards  without  a  trip,  disappeared 
through  the  costly  tapestries  of  their  uncle's 
apartments. 


\ 


AL-TAWAJIN 

That  is : 
Thb  Pipkins 


CHAPTER  III 

ENTITLED  AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

ON  the  appointed  day  of  the  next  week,  when, 
with  the  hour  of  public  executions,  the  noon- 
day amusements  of  the  city  come  to  an  end,  and 
the  citizens  betake  themselves  to  the  early  after- 
noon's repose,  the  seven  boys  were  once  more 
seated  in  the  presence  of  their  uncle,  whom  they 
discovered  in  a  radiant  humour. 

He  welcomed  them  so  warmly  that  they  imagined 
for  a  moment  he  might  be  upon  the  point  of  offer- 
ing them  sherbet,  sweetmeats,  or  even  money ;  they 
were  undeceived,  however,  when  the  excellent  but 
extremely  wealthy  old  man,  drawing  his  purse 
lovingly  through  his  fingers,  ordered  to  have 
poured  out  for  each  of  them  by  a  slave  a  further 
draught  of  delicious  cold  water,  put  himself  at  his 
ease  for  a  long  story,  and  resumed  his  tale : 

''You  will  remember,  my  delightful  nephews," 
he  said,  "how  I  found  myself  in  the  hermit's  hut 
without  a  friend  in  the  world,  and  with  a  capital 
of  no  more  than  twelve  thousand  dinars  which  I 
had  carried  thither  in  a  sack  upon  donkey-back. 
Indeed,  it  was  entirely  due  to  the  Mercy  of  Allah 
that  my  small  capital  was  even  as  large  as  it  was : 
for  had  the  merchant  in  the  bazaar  discovered  the 
pearls  to  be  false  he  would  not  only  have  offered 
me  far  less  but  might  possibly,  after  having  dis- 
posed of  the  pearls,  have  given  me  over  to  the 
police.  As  it  was.  Heaven  had  been  kind  to  me, 
though  not  bountiful,  and  I  still  had  to  bethink 

41 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

me  what  to  do  next  if  I  desired  to  increase  my 
little  treasure. 

' '  Taking  leave,  therefore,  of  the  good  hermit,  I 
pressed  into  his  hand  a  small  brass  coin  the 
superscription  of  which  was  unknown  to  me  and 
which  I  therefore  feared  I  might  have  some  diffi- 
culty in  passing.  I  assured  my  kind  host  that  it 
was  a  coin  of  the  second  Caliph  Omar  and  of  value 
very  far  superior  to  any  modern  gold  piece  of  a 
similar  size.  As  the  hermit,  like  many  other 
saintly  men,  was  ignorant  of  letters,  his  gratitude 
knew  no  bounds.  He  dismissed  me  with  a  bless- 
ing so  long  and  complicated  that  I  cannot  but 
ascribe  to  it  some  part  of  the  good  fortune  which 
next  befell  me. 

<<Por  you  must  know  that  when,  after  laying  in 
stores  at  a  neighbouring  village,  I  had  driven  my 
donkey  forward  for  nearly  a  week  over  barren  and 
uninhabited  mountains,  and  when  I  had  nearly  ex- 
hausted my  provision  of  dried  cakes  and  wine  (a 
beverage  which  our  religion  allows  us  to  consume 
when  no  one  is  by),  I  was  delighted  to  come  upon 
a  fertile  valley  entirely  closed  in  by  high,  precipi- 
tous cliffs  save  at  one  issue,  where  a  rough  track 
led  from  this  enchanted  region  to  the  outer  world. 
In  this  valley  I  discovered,  to  my  astonishment, 
manners  to  be  so  primitive  or  intelligence  so  low 
that  the  whole  art  of  money-dealing  was  ignored 
by  the  inhabitants  and  by  the  very  Governors 
themselves. 

^'The  King  (who,  I  am  glad  to  say,  was  of  the 
Faithful)  had,  indeed,  promulgated  laws  against 
certain  forms  of  fraud  which  he  imagined  to  be 
denounced  in  the  Koran;    but  these  were  of  so 

42 


AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

infantile  a  character  that  a  man  of  judgment  could 
very  easily  avoid  them  in  any  plans  he  might 
frame  for  the  people's  betterment  and  his  own. 
The  population  consisted  entirely  of  soldiers  and 
rustics,  among  all  of  whom  not  one  could  be  dis- 
covered capable  of  calculating  with  justice  a  com- 
pound interest  for  ten  years. 

"Under  these  circumstances  my  only  difficulty 
lay  in  choosing  what  form  my  first  enterprise 
should  take.  After  a  little  thought  I  decided  that 
what  we  call  in  Bagdad  an  Amalgamation  of  Com- 
peting Interests  would  be  no  bad  beginning. 

"I  began  with  due  caution  by  investing  a  couple 
of  thousand  dinars  in  the  merchandise  of  a  potter 
who  had  recently  died  and  whose  widow  needed 
ready  cash  to  satisfy  the  sacred  demands  of  the 
dead.  She  spent  the  money  in  the  ornamentation 
of  his  tomb,  with  which  unproductive  expenditure 
the  foolish  woman  was  in  no  small  degree  con- 
cerned. ' ' 

Here  the  eldest  of  the  nephews  interrupted 
Mahmoud  to  ask,  most  respectfully,  why  with  a 
capital  of  twelve  thousand  dinars  he  had  used  but 
two,  and  why  he  had  begun  his  experiment  upon 
the  petty  business  of  a  poor  widow. 

"My  son,"  said  his  uncle  aifectionately,  "you 
do  well  to  ask  these  questions.  They  show  a  rea- 
soned interest  in  the  great  art  of  Getting.  W3II 
then,  as  to  the  smallness  of  my  beginning,  it  was, 
I  hope,  due  to  humility.  For  ostentation  is  hate- 
ful. But  a  good  deed  is  never  thrown  away — and 
how  useful  I  found  this  reserve  of  ten  thousand 
dinars  (which  I  had  in  my  meekness  kept  aside) 
you  shall  soon  learn. 

43 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

**As  to  why  I  began  operations  in  the  kiln  of 
this  poor  widow,  it  was  because  I  have  ever  loved 
the  little  ones  of  this  world  and  aided  them  to  my 
best  endeavour.  This  charitable  action  also  turned 
out  to  be  wise,  as  such  actions  often  do;  for  I 
could  thus  proceed  at  first  unnoticed  and  begin 
my  new  adventures  without  exciting  any  embar- 
rassing attention. 

**I  continued  to  live  in  the  same  small  hut  I  had 
hired  on  my  arrival,  under  the  floor  of  which  I 
kept  my  modest  capital;  and  I  put  it  about,  as 
modesty  demanded,  that  I  was  almost  destitute. 

"As  it  was  indifferent  to  me  for  the  moment 
whether  I  obtained  a  return  upon  this  paltry  in- 
vestment or  no,  I  was  able  to  sell  my  wares  at  very 
much  the  same  sum  as  they  had  cost  me,  and  as  I 
had  bought  the  whole  stock  cheap,  that  sum  was 
less  than  the  cost  of  manufacture.  There  was  a 
considerable  store  of  pipkins  in  the  old  sheds,  and 
while  I  sold  them  off  at  charitable  rates  (very 
disconcerting  to  other  merchants),  I  had  time  to 
consider  my  next  step. 

'  *  Upon  this  next  step  I  soon  determined.  When, 
with  due  delay,  my  original  stock  of  pipkins  had 
been  sold,  I  purchased  a  small  consignment  of 
clay,  I  relit  the  fires  in  the  kiln,  I  hired  a  couple 
of  starving  potters,  and  I  began  to  manufacture. 

''The  fame  of  my  very  cheap  pipkins  had 
spread,  as  was  but  natural,  and  secured  me  an 
increasing  number  of  customers  for  my  newly 
made  wares.  But  I  thought  it  wrong  to  debauch 
the  peasants  by  selling  them  their  pots  under  cost 
price  any  longer.  I  was  constrained  by  the  plain- 
est rule  of  duty  to  raise  my  prices  to  the  cost  of 

44 


AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

manufacture — though  no  more,  keeping  Justice  as 
my  guiding  star.  For,  depend  upon  it,  my  dear 
nephews,  in  business  as  in  every  other  walk  of 
life  an  exact  rectitude  alone  can  lead  us  to  the 
most  dazzling  rewards. 

* '  This  price  of  mine  was  still  lower  than  that  of 
all  the  other  pipkin-makers,  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed from  immemorial  time  to  the  base  idea  of 
profit,  and  were  in  a  perpetual  surmise  what  secret 
powers  I  had  to  permit  me  such  quotations.  But 
I  made  no  mystery  of  the  affair.  I  allowed  all  my 
friends  to  visit  my  simple  factory  and  I  explained 
to  their  satisfaction  how  organization  and  a  close 
attention  to  costings  were  sufficient  to  account  for 
my  prosperity. 

"Still,  as  my  sales  continued  to  grow,  new 
doubts  arose,  and  with  them,  I  am  glad  to  say, 
new  respect  for  my  skill  in  affairs. 

''The  simple  folk  wondered  by  what  art  I  had 
contrived  so  difficult  a  financial  operation,  but  as 
it  was  traditional  among  them  that  one  who  sold 
goods  cheap  was  a  benefactor  to  the  community, 
my  action  was  lauded,  my  fame  spread,  and  the 
number  of  my  customers  continually  increased. 

"You  will  not  be  slow  to  perceive,  my  dear  boys, 
that  my  competitors  in  the  bazaar,  being  com- 
pelled, to  compete  with  my  ruinous  prices,  were  all 
embarrassed,  and  that  the  less  attentive  or  privi- 
leged soon  began  to  fall  into  financial  difficulties, 
the  first  of  course  being  those  who  were  the  most 
renowned  among  these  simpletons  for  their  cun- 
ning, their  silence,  their  lying,  and  their  commer- 
cial skill  in  general.  These,  as  they  were  perpet- 
ually trying  new  combinations  to  discover  or  to 

45 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

defeat  my  supposed  schemes,  were  an  easy  prey. 
Even  the  straightforward  fellows  who  knew  of  no 
art  more  subtle  than  the  charging  of  ten  per  cent, 
above  cost  price,  and  who  did  not  play  into  my 
hands  by  any  wearisome  financial  strategy,  began 
to  be  roped  into  my  net  as  the  area  of  my  opera- 
tions spread.  For  when  I  had  acquired,  at  a  cal- 
culated loss,  a  good  half  of  the  pottery  business 
in  this  sequestered  paradise,  I  could,  by  what  is 
known  as  the  Fluctuation  of  the  Market  (but  I 
will  not  confuse  you  with  technical  terms),  put  my 
remaining  competitors  into  alternate  fevers  of 
panic  and  expectation  very  destructive  to  a  Sound 
Business  Judgment. 

"Upon  one  day  I  would  declare  that  a  large  con- 
signment of  pottery  being  about  to  reach  me,  I 
could  sell  pipkins  at  half  the  usual  price.  Pipkins 
fell  heavily,  and  I  bought  through  my  agent  every 
pipkin  I  could  lay  hold  of.  The  supposed  consign- 
ment, I  would  then  put  about,  had  been  broken  to 
atoms  by  an  avalanche  which  had  overwhelmed  the 
caravan  at  the  very  boundaries  of  the  State. 
Price  leapt  upward,  and  as  I  was  the  author  of  the 
rumour  I  was  also  the  first  to  take  advantage  of 
the  rise  in  price.  But  the  very  moment,  my  dear 
nephews,  that  my  sluggish  competitors  attempted 
to  follow  suit  the  market  would,  oddly  enough, 
fluctuate  again  in  a  downward  direction. 

''Upon  a  certain  morning  when  one  Abdullah 
(who  was  my  boon  companion  and  the  next  mer- 
chant in  importance  to  myself)  decided  to  mark 
his  best  pipkins  at  ten  dinars  the  dozen  I  hap- 
pened most  prudently  to  have  offered  my  own  at 
eight  and  a  half  dinars  to  my  favourite  customers. 

46 


AL-TAWAjm,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

"And  all  this  while  I  lived  upon  my  hidden 
hoard. 

"Poor  Abdullah  came  to  me  in  a  sweat,  very 
early  the  next  morning,  and  after  some  meaning- 
less compliments  and  many  pauses,  asked  me  to 
go  into  partnership.  'For'  (said  he)  'though  he 
admitted  he  had  not  my  capacities,  yet  he  had  a 
long  experience  in  the  trade,  a  large  connection 
and  many  influential  friends  in  the  allied  lines  of 
Pipkin  brokerage,  Pipkin  insurance.  Pipkin  dis- 
count. Pipkin  remainders,  and — a  most  important 
branch — the  buying  and  selling  of  Imaginary 
Pipkins. ' 

"He  could — he  anxiously  assured  me — be  of 
great  service  as  an  ally,  but  he  was  free  to  con- 
fess that  if  he  continued  as  he  was  he  would  be 
ruined ;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  he  had  already  come 
to  the  end  of  his  resources  and  had  not  a  dinar 
in  the  house. 

* '  I  heard  him  out  with  a  grave  and  sympathetic 
countenance,  heaving  deep  sighs  when  he  touched 
upon  his  fears,  nodding  and  smiling  when  he  spoke 
of  his  advantages,  patting  him  affectionately  when 
he  professed  his  devotion  to  myself,  and  assuming 
a  look  of  anguish  when  he  spoke  of  his  approach- 
ing ruin. 

"But  when  he  had  concluded — almost  in  tears — 
I  told  him  in  tones  somewhat  slower  and  graver 
than  my  ordinary,  that  I  had  one  fixed  principle 
in  life,  bequeathed  me  by  my  dear  father,  now  in 
Paradise,  never  to  enter  into  partnership;  no,  not 
with  my  nearest  and  dearest,  but  ever  to  remain 
alone  in  my  transactions.  I  frankly  admitted  that 
this  made  me  a  poor  man  and  would  keep  me  poor. 

47 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

It  would  be  greatly  to  my  advantage,  in  the  despic- 
able goods  of  this  world,  to  have  at  my  disposal 
Abdullah 's  marvellous  experience,  his  great  array 
of  family  and  business  connections  (to  which  my 
wretched  birth  could  make  no  claim),  and  above  all 
his  genius  for  following  the  market.  But  the 
goods  of  this  world  were  perishable — especially 
earthenware — and  the  sacred  pledge  given  to  my 
sainted  parent  counted  more  with  me  than  all  the 
baked  mud  in  the  world. 

''As  I  thus  spoke  Abdullah's  breast  heaved  with 
tempestuous  sobs,  provoked  by  the  affecting  exam- 
ple of  my  filial  piety,  but  also,  I  fear,  by  the  black 
prospect  of  his  own  future. 

'*I  could  not  bear  to  witness  his  distress.  I 
hastened  to  relieve  it.  Though  my  vow  (I  said) 
forbade  me  solemnly  to  enter  into  partnership,  yet 
I  could  be  of  service  to  him  in  another  manner.  I 
would  lend  him  money  at  a  low  rate  of  interest 
to  the  value  of  half  his  stock  upon  the  security  of 
the  whole.  Times  would  change.  The  present 
ruinous  price  of  pipkins  (by  which  I  myself  suf- 
fered severely)  could  not  long  endure.  He  would 
lift  his  head  again  and  could  repay  me  at  his 
leisure. 

*'He  thanked  me  profusely,  kissed  my  hand 
again  and  again,  and  gave  me  an  appointment 
next  day  to  view  his  merchandise  and  draw  up 
the  contract. 

''I  visited  him  at  the  hour  agreed.  The  public 
notaries  drew  up  an  inventory  of  his  whole  stock, 
including  his  house  and  furniture,  his  prayer 
beads  (which  I  was  interested  in,  for  they  were  of 
a  costly  Persian  make),  his  dead  wife's  jewels, 

48 


AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

all  his  clothes,  his  bed,  and  his  pet  cat — an  animal 
of  no  recorded  pedigree  but  reputed  to  be  of  the 
pure  Kashmir  breed.  I  carefully  noted  all  flaws, 
however  slight,  in  each  pipkin  of  his  warehouse 
and  set  all  such  damaged  goods  aside  as  a  make- 
weight. The  sound  pipkins  I  made  no  bones  of 
but  accepted  frankly  at  their  market  value,  and 
when  the  whole  was  added  up  the  valuation  came 
to  no  less  than  20,000  dinars.  Yet  so  hide-bound 
in  routine  were  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  that 
Abdullah — if  you  will  believe  me! — ^had  actually 
set  his  business  stock  down  in  his  old  books  at 
four-fold  that  amount ! 

**As  I  had  had  to  carry  on,  I  had  not  now  left  by 
me  my  full  hoard  of  10,000  dinars.  I  had  but  8,000 
left.  Yet  I  was  in  no  difficulty.  Half  20,000  is 
10,000 — but  there  would  be  deductions ! 

''The  costs  of  all  this  inventory  and  mortgage 
were,  of  course,  set  down  against  my  valued 
friend  Abdullah,  but  since  he  had  not  the  ready 
cash  wherewith  to  pay  the  notaries,  their  clerks, 
the  demurrage  fees,  the  stamps,  the  royal  licence, 
the  enregistration,  the  triplicates,  the  broker's 
commission,  the  ..." 

**Pray,  uncle,"  cried  the  youngest  of  the 
nephews,  "what  are  all  these?" 

''You  must  not  interrupt  me,  my  boy,"  an- 
swered the  great  merchant,  a  little  testily,  "they 
are  the  necessary  accompaniments  of  such  trans- 
actions. .  .  .  "Well,  as  I  was  saying,  the  broker's 
commission,  the  porter's  wages,  the  gratuities  to 
the  notaries'  servants,  the  cleaning  up  of  the  ware- 
house after  all  was  over,  and  a  hundred  other 
petty  items,  I  generously  allowed  them  to  be  de- 

49 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

ducted  from  the  loan;  for  our  Prophet  has  said, 
'Blessed  is  he  that  shall  grant  delay  to  his  debtor.' 
That  very  evening,  with  every  phrase  of  goodwill 
and  expressed  hopes  for  his  speedy  recovery  of 
fortune,  I  counted  out  to  my  dear  friend  Abdullah 
the  full  balance  of  16,325  dinars  and  one  half  dinar, 
and  left  him  overjoyed  at  the  possession  of  so 
much  immediate  wealth. 

"But,  alas!  no  man  can  forecast  the  morrow, 
and  all  things  were  written  at  the  beginning  to  be 
as  they  shall  be.  So  far  from  pipkins  rising,  the 
price  fell  slowly  and  regularly  for  three  months, 
during  which  time  I  was  careful  to  restrict  my 
own  production  somewhat,  though  my  poor  dear 
friend,  in  his  necessity,  produced  more  feverishly 
than  ever,  and  thereby  did  but  lower  still  further 
the  now  really  infamous  price  of  pipkins. 

**At  last  he  came  to  a  dead  stop,  and  could  pro- 
duce no  more.  I  gladly  allowed  the  first,  the  sec- 
ond and  even  the  third  arrears  of  interest  to  be 
added  to  the  principal  at  a  most  moderate  com- 
pound rate,  but  there  was  some  fatality  upon  him, 
and  I  was  inexpressibly  shocked  to  hear  one 
morning  that  Abdullah  had  drowned  himself  over 
night  in  a  beautiful  little  lake  which  his  long  dead 
wife  had  designed  for  him  in  his  once  charming 
pleasure  grounds." 

*'0h!  Poor  man !"  cried  all  the  nephews  in 
chorus. 

''Poor  man!  Poor  man  indeed!"  echoed  their 
benevolent  uncle,  ''I  was  a  stranger  in  that  coun- 
try. He  was  the  closest  tie  I  had  to  it,  and,  indeed, 
in  my  loneliness,  the  nearest  companion  I  had  in 
the  whole  world."    And  here  the  good  old  man 

50 


AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

paused  to  breathe  a  prayer  for  the  departed  com- 
panion of  his  long-past  youth.  He  then  sighed 
deeply  and  continued : 

"I  used  what  had  now  become  my  considerable 
influence  with  the  government  to  provide  him  a 
costly  funeral  at  the  public  expense — for  he  had 
left  no  effects,  nor  even  children  to  follow  him.  I 
walked  behind  the  coffin  as  chief  mourner,  and 
though  I  attempted  to  control  my  grief,  all  the 
vast  crowd  assembled  were  moved  by  my  manly 
sorrow,  and  several  spoke  to  me  upon  it  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  sad  rites. 

* '  I  allowed  the  decent  interval  of  three  days  to 
elapse  and  then  did  what  I  had  no  choice  but  to 
do.  I  took  over  Abdullah 's  factory  on  foreclosure 
and  added  it  to  my  own. 

''In  this  way  the  valuable  kilns  and  stores 
of  clay  and  wheels  and  vehicles,  etc.,  all  became 
my  property.  I  had  them  valued,  and  was  pleas- 
urably  surprised  to  discover  that  they  were  worth 
at  least  25,000  dinars. 

*' A  full  two  years  had  now  passed  since  my  first 
coming  to  this  happy  and  secluded  valley  where 
Allah  had  poured  out  upon  me  His  blessings  in  so 
marvellous  a  fashion.  I  was  lonely,  as  you  may 
imagine,  but  I  manfully  faced  my  duty.  I  con- 
tinued to  supervise  and  extend  my  manufactory  of 
pipkins  which  now  provided  these  articles  for 
more  than  half  the  households  of  the  State.  I 
therefore  could  and  did  put  the  price  of  these  use- 
ful articles  upon  a  basis  which,  if  it  was  somewhat 
higher  than  that  to  which  people  had  grown  accus- 
tomed during  my  earlier  manipulations,  had  the 
priceless  advantage  of  security,  so  that  the  house- 

51 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

wife  could  always  know  exactly  what  she  had  to 
disburse — and  I  what  I  should  receive.  As  I 
manufactured  upon  so  large  a  scale  my  overhead 
charges  ..." 

^'What  are  overhead  ..."  began  the  eldest 
nephew,  when  his  uncle,  visibly  perturbed,  shouted 
* '  Silence !  .  .  .  You  have  made  me  forget  what  I 
was  going  to  say!" 

There  was  an  awkward  pause,  during  which  the 
old  man  restored  his  ruffled  temper  and  proceeded : 

*'I  was  able  to  buy  clay  more  cheaply  and  better 
than  the  private  pipkin-makers  (for  so  they  were 
now  called,  with  well  merited  contempt)  who  still 
vainly  attempted  to  compete  with  me,  and  my  busi- 
ness automatically  grew  as  the  poor  remnant  of 
theirs  declined. 

**Not  only  did  I  continually  increase  in  wealth 
by  these  somewhat  obvious  methods,  but  also  in 
the  power  of  controlling  property ;  for  when  some 
fresh  fool  among  my  fellow  pipkin-makers  found 
himseK  in  difficulties,  it  was  my  practice  to  seek 
him  secretly,  to  condole  with  him  upon  what  I  had 
heard  was  his  approaching  misfortune,  and  to 
save  him  from  ruin  by  taking  over  the  whole  of  his 
stock.  Nay!  I  would  do  more.  I  would  rescue 
him  from  the  sad  necessity  of  attempting  some 
new  unknown  trade  by  taking  him  into  my  own 
employment  at  a  generous  salary  (but  upon  a 
monthly  agreement) ;  with  a  pretty  concession  to 
sentiment  I  would  even  leave  him  to  manage  his 
own  dear  old  booth  in  the  bazaar  to  which  so  many 
years  had  now  accustomed  him.  I  look  back  with 
pleasure  upon  the  tears  of  gratitude  which  stood 

52 


AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

in  the  eyes  of  those  to  whom  I  extended  such 
favours. 

**So  things  went  on  for  one  more  year,  and  an- 
other, and  another,  till  the  fifth  year  of  my  sojourn 
among  these  simple  people  was  completed. 

'*!  was  in  complete  control  of  the  pipkin  trade, 
making  all  the  pipkins  that  the  nation  needed,  and 
free  from  any  rival.  The  house  which  I  had  built 
for  myself  was  the  finest  in  the  place,  but  covered, 
I  humbly  add,  with  many  a  sacred  text.  Above  its 
vast  horse-shoe  gate,  ablaze  with  azure  tiles,  was 
inscribed  in  gold  the  sentence,  'Wealth  is  of  God 
alone. ' 

''I  was  popularly  known  as  *Melek-al-Tawajin,* 
or  the  Pipkin  King,  but  officially  decorated  with 
the  local  title  of  'Warzan  Dahur,'  which  was  the 
highest  they  knew  and  signifies  'Leader  in  battle.' 
I  was  entitled  to  wear  a  sword  with  a  silver  hilt 
in  a  jewelled  scabbard,  an  ornament  of  which  I 
was  justly  proud,  but  the  blade  of  which  I  very 
sensibly  kept  blunt  lest  my  servant  should  cut  him- 
self when  he  polished  it,  or  even  I  should  inadver- 
tently do  myself  a  mischief  when  I  pulled  it  out 
with  a  flourish  to  display  it  to  my  guests,  or 
saluted  with  it  on  parade.  I  had  become  a  most 
intimate  companion  of  the  Court  and  was  the  most 
trusted  counsellor  of  the  King,  to  whose  wives  also 
I  often  lent  small  sums  of  money ;  nor  did  I  ask 
to  be  repaid. 

''In  such  a  situation  I  mused  upon  my  condi- 
tion, and  felt  within  me  strange  promptings  for  a 
new  and  larger  life.  I  was  now  well  advanced  in 
manhood,  I  was  filled  with  desires  for  action  and 
device  which  the  narrow  field  of  that  happy  but 

53 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

restricted  place  could  not  fulfil.  I  longed  for  ad- 
venturous action  in  a  larger  world. 

*  *  The  output  and  consumption  of  pipkins  was  at 
an  exact  unchangeable  level ;  the  revenue  a  fixed 
amount.  The  profit  of  the  trade  I  held  came  to 
some  20,000  dinars  in  the  year,  the  full  purchase 
of  which  should  be,  say,  200,000  dinars. 

**I  prayed  earnestly  for  guidance,  and  one  night 
as  I  so  prayed  an  idea  was  revealed  to  me  by  the 
Most  High. 

''I  approached  the  King  and  told  him  how,  all 
my  life,  I  had  nourished  the  secret  belief  that  a 
trade  necessary  to  the  whole  community  should 
not,  in  justice,  be  controlled  by  a  private  indi- 
vidual, but  should  rather  be  the  full  property  of 
the  State,  of  which  His  Majesty  was  the  sole 
guardian. 

"The  King  listened  to  me  with  rapt  attention  as 
I  unfolded  with  an  inspired  eloquence  my  faith 
that  no  one  man  should  intercept  profits  which 
were  due  to  the  work  of  all.  'It  is  your  majesty,* 
I  cried,  'who  alone  should  have  control  over  what 
concerns  the  body  corporate  of  your  people.  *  He 
and  he  alone  should  superintend  the  purchase  of 
pipkins,  should  regulate  their  sales,  should  re- 
ceive all  sums  paid  for  them,  and  should  use  that 
revenue  as  he  might  think  best  for  himself  and 
the  commonwealth.  'While  I  was  struggling  in 
the  dust  and  confusion  of  commercial  life, '  I  con- 
cluded, 'I  had  no  leisure  to  work  out  my  scheme 
in  its  entirety,  nor  even  to  appreciate  its  serene 
equity — but  now  .  .  .  now,  I  see,  I  understand,  I 
know ! ' 

"Carried  away  by  the  fire  of  my  conviction, 

54 


AL-TAWAJIN,  OR  THE  PIPKINS 

my  Royal  Master  could  no  longer  brook  delay. 
He  bade  me  put  the  idea  in  its  main  lines  before 
him  at  once,  and  assured  me  it  should  at  once  be 
put  into  execution. 

''I  thereupon  pulled  out  a  paper  showing  that 
since  I  was  fully  agreeable  to  take  no  more  than 
the  cash  value  of  the  trade  plus  goodwill  and  plus 
certain  probable  gains  which  I  might  reasonably 
expect  in  the  future,  I  would  be  amply  compen- 
sated if  I  were  to  hand  all  over  to  the  Common- 
wealth for  the  merely  nominal  sum  of  half  a  mil- 
lion dinars — 500,000.  'A  sum  which,'  I  continued, 
*is  of  little  moment  to  your  Majesty ;  especially  as 
it  will  be  met  by  the  taxation  of  your  willing  and 
loyal  subjects. ' 

*'The  matter  was  at  once  concluded.  My  great 
act  of  renunciation  was  everywhere  acclaimed 
with  transports  of  public  joy.  Every  honour  was 
heaped  upon  me.  The  King  himself  pronounced 
my  panegyric  at  the  farewell  banquet  given  in  my 
honour,  and  an  inscription  was  ordered  to  be  en- 
crusted in  the  most  gorgeous  tiles  on  the  chief 
gate  of  the  city :  ^  On  the  tenth  day  of  the  month 
Shaaban  in  the  three  hundred  and  third  year  from 
the  Flight  of  the  Prophet,  by  the  act  of  Mahmoud 
the  Magnificent  all  citizens  became  in  the  matter 
of  Pipkins  his  common  heirs. '  " 

The  Merchant  had  been  so  moved  by  these  old 
memories  that  he  had  diflficulty  in  proceeding. 
He  was  silent  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  ended 
in  a  more  subsued  tone. 

"The  sum  of  500,000  dinars,  well  packed,  will 
load  without  discomfort  some  dozen  camels. 
These  and  their  drivers  were  provided  me  by  a 

55 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

grateful  nation.  I  passed  out  of  the  town  at  sun- 
rise, attended  by  a  vast  concourse  of  the  populace 
who  pressed  round  me  in  a  delirium  of  grateful 
cries,  and  so  took  my  way  eastward  across  the 
mountains  and  left  this  happy  vale  forever." 

At  that  moment  the  detestable  falsetto  of  the 
Muezzin  was  heard  from  the  neighbouring  min- 
aret, and  the  boys,  all  dazed  at  the  recital  of  such 
triumphs,  left  the  presence  of  their  uncle  as 
though  it  had  been  that  of  a  God. 


AL-KANTARA 

That  is: 
The  Beidgb 


CHAPTER  IV 

ENTITLED  AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

WHEN  the  hour  of  public  executions  had 
arrived  and  the  boys  were  assembled  once 
more  at  their  uncle's  feet  to  hear  the  story  of 
his  fortunes,  (their  minds  full  of  his  last  success), 
the  old  man,  still  occupied  with  that  pleasing 
memory,  began  at  once  the  continuation  of  his 
life. 

'*I  left  the  valley,  as  I  told  you,  my  dear 
nephews,  nourished  by  the  memory  of  a  whole 
people's  gratitude  and  giving  thanks  to  God  who 
had  made  me  the  humble  instrument  of  so  great 
a  good.  They  err  who  think  that  great  wealth 
is  marked  with  oppression,  or  that  the  rich  man 
has  despoiled  the  populace.  Upon  the  contrary, 
the  fortunes  of  the  wealthy  are  but  an  index  of 
what  excellent  work  they  have  done  for  all ;  and  I, 
for  my  part,  equally  joined  in  my  heart  the 
memory  of  all  the  benefits  I  had  conferred  upon 
my  kind  in  the  matter  of  Pipkins,  and  my  over- 
flowing satisfaction  at  the  heavy  bags  of  coin 
which  swayed  upon  the  backs  of  my  camels. 

*'Day  after  day  we  proceeded,  my  caravan  and 
I,  through  the  high  hills,  pitching  our  camp  each 
evening  by  some  wooded  torrent  side  and  nourish- 
ing ourselves  with  the  provisions  with  which  I  had 
amply  stored  my  company  at  my  departure. 

''Such  scenes  were  solemn  and  inclined  the 
mind  to  reverence.    Never  had  my  prayers  been 

59 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

more  sincere  and  deep  than  they  were  during  the 
long  watches  I  passed  in  the  cloudless  nights  of 
those  mountains,  in  the  solemnity  of  their  vast 
woods ;  and  the  holy  thoughts  of  grateful  affluence 
harmonized  with  the  ceaseless  voices  of  the  forest. 

**I  had  during  this  long  journey  through  the 
barrier  range  but  little  opportunity  to  exercise 
those  gifts  in  which  I  may  humbly  say  I  excel. 
For  these  villages  were  few  and  poor  and  the 
opportunities  for  talent  were  rare.  It  was  indeed 
my  duty  to  keep  my  hand  in,  as  the  saying  goes, 
and  not  to  let  my  wealth  diminish  as  I  passed. 
Thus  I  would,  for  mere  practice,  strike  some  little 
bargain  from  time  to  time.  I  would  purchase 
obsolete  arms  from  some  village  less  backward 
than  the  rest  and  sell  them  at  some  further  stage 
onward  to  rude  mountaineers  who  had  not  even 
heard  of  such  ancient  weapons.  I  was  not  above 
offering  to  carry,  as  my  caravan  passed,  sundry 
goods  from  one  farm  to  another  at  an  agreed 
price,  and  these  (after  selecting  what  from  among 
them  seemed  to  me  best  worth  keeping)  I  would 
punctually  deliver  to  their  consignees. 

*'l  amused  myself  at  my  leisure,  also,  when  I 
was  in  no  haste,  with  occasional  experiments  in 
engineering  such  as  suit  the  more  educated  man 
among  his  fellows.  Thus  I  would  let  the  water 
out  from  a  dam  as  I  passed  it  and  then,  at  a  con- 
siderable price,  repair  the  ravages  the  escaping 
water  might  have  made  in  the  valley  below.  And 
I  was  even  agreeable  to  retrace  my  steps  and 
repair  the  damage  which  the  flood  had  inevitably 
occasioned  to  the  barrier  itself:  charging  a  suit- 
able sum  for  both  operations. 

60 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

*  *  Sometimes — ^when  the  occasion  offered — I  did 
business  on  a  somewhat  larger  scale.  I  remember 
purchasing  a  whole  train  of  wheat  which  was 
on  its  way  to  one  of  the  larger  hamlets,  and  when 
I  arrived  there  keeping  the  people  in  some  sus- 
pense (but  not  to  the  point  of  actual  famine) 
until  their  necessity  very  naturally  produced  an 
excellent  price  for  the  grain.  I  also  negotiated 
ransoms  from  time  to  time  upon  commission  when 
I  found  myself  in  a  district  of  brigands — simple 
folk — and  I  picked  up  some  very  curious  carvings 
and  pieces  of  metal  work  at  a  price  satisfying  to 
their  rude  owners  yet  promising  an  enormous 
profit  when  I  should  reach  the  plains. 

*'But  all  these  were  mere  jests  and  pastimes, 
the  occupation  of  enforced  idleness  as  my  long 
journey  through  the  hills  continued.  At  last  I 
came  to  a  place  which  had  been  described  to  me 
by  a  trusty  servant,  where,  from  the  height  of  a 
pass  I  saw  some  thousands  of  feet  below  me  the 
foothills  descending  rapidly  on  to  an  even  plain 
which  stretched,  brown  and  sun-burned,  to  the 
horizon.  Not  far  from  the  base  of  the  mountains, 
at  the  edge  of  this  plain,  a  noble  river  wandered 
in  many  branches,  separated  by  sand-banks ;  for 
I  had  been  seven  weeks  in  the  hills  and  it  was  now 
the  height  of  summer,  the  snows  had  long  since 
melted  away  on  the  heights,  and  the  stream  was 
low. 

"I  pitched  my  last  camp  a  mile  or  two  from  the 
hither  bank  of  this  great  river,  and  sent  forward 
certain  of  my  servants  to  discover  how  best  it 
might  be  crossed.  They  returned  the  next  morn- 
ing and  told  me  that  in  several  of  its  branches  it 

61 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

was  too  deep  to  be  forded,  but  at  the  place  where 
the  shores  seemed  to  approach  each  other  (where 
there  was  no  interrupting  islands,  but  one  con- 
tinuous sea  of  water  four  furlongs  wide),  a  ferry 
had  been  established  from  a  road-end  and  plied 
regularly  for  the  passage  of  merchants,  pilgrims 
and  other  travellers  who  there  went  over  from 
the  hills  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  Plain  upon  the 
further  bank.  I  sent  them  back  with  an  appoint- 
ment for  the  ferry  to  be  prepared  to  take  my 
numerous  caravan  from  the  first  hour  after  sun- 
rise on  the  morrow.  We  packed  all  our  gear, 
struck  camp  in  the  first  dusk  of  dawn  and  duly 
reached  the  ferry  head  where  a  large  flat  boat 
manned  with  a  dozen  rowers  captained  by  the 
old  ferrjTnan  of  the  place  waited  us  on  a  sort 
of  wharf. 

**The  passage  was  tedious,  and  would  take  the 
whole  day ;  for  the  stream  was  swift  and  no  more 
than  one  camel  could  cross  at  a  time. 

"I  was  in  some  little  hesitation  how  to  act. 
If  I  remained  upon  the  hither  bank  until  all  had 
passed  over  I  could  not  be  certain  that  my  ser- 
vants who  had  gone  ahead  would  not  play  me  a 
trick.  If  I  crossed  first  I  could  not  overlook  the 
doings  of  my  servants  who  had  yet  to  cross ;  and 
though  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt  their  perfect 
honesty,  neither  had  I  any  reason  to  doubt  their 
vile  thievish  character.  At  last  I  made  the  fol- 
lowing plan :  I  discharged  all  the  camels  of  their 
packs,  putting  the  packs  on  board  in  one  heap, 
being  very  careful  to  put  on  board  all  the  food 
as  well  as  the  coin.  With  this  and  one  camel 
which  I  attended  myself  and  hobbled,  I  crossed 

62 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

alone.  I  then  went  back  again  with  the  ferryman 
and  his  crew,  still  keeping  my  provisions  and  my 
coin,  and  brought  over  another  camel  and  his 
driver,  and  so  on  nntil  the  whole  of  my  company 
was  transferred.  Not  tiU  all  the  camels  and  their 
drivers  were  assembled,  clamouring  with  hunger, 
upon  the  further  bank,  did  I  allow  the  coin  and 
food  to  be  landed  under  my  very  eye. 

' '  The  time  which  all  this  took  made  my  retinue 
ravenously  hungry,  as  I  have  said,  and  as  the  day 
wore  on  I  was  indeed  touched  by  the  earnest 
prayers  they  made  for  a  little  food,  but  I  was 
too  wise  to  yield,  and  it  was  not  until  the  whole  of 
my  company  was  gathered  together  on  the  further 
bank,  and  I  with  it,  that  I  permitted  the  cases  to 
be  landed  and  gave  them  all  a  hearty  meal. 

**It  was  by  that  time  near  sunset.  We  pitched 
our  camp  and  waited  till  the  morning  to  find  a 
more  regular  habitation,  for  I  had  noticed  a  very 
little  way  off  from  the  further  bank,  and  some- 
what upstream,  not  a  few  scattered  houses  stand- 
ing in  gardens  and  shaded  in  a  grove  of  trees. 

* '  I  had  as  yet  no  plan  how  I  might  use  the  sums 
of  which  I  was  possessed.  I  was  rather  waiting 
for  a  venture  to  come  to  me  than  going  out  myself 
to  seek  it,  when  a  chance  word  from  the  old  ferry- 
man, as  I  paid  him  the  fares  (which  I  had  already 
contracted  for  at  a  great  reduction,  seeing  how 
numerous  we  were),  started  me  upon  a  train  of 
thought. 

"And  here,  my  nephews,  I  will  beg  you  to 
observe  that  any  hint  of  opportunity  must  be 
seized  at  once.  It  is  thus  that  great  things  are 
done. 

63 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

"'What  the  ferryman  said  was,  *A  curse  on 
those  who  come  so  loaded'  (for  he  grumbled  and 
contended  that  his  old  crazy  craft  might  have 
sprung  a  leak  under  such  a  pressure  of  traffic). 

"  'Yet,'  said  I  in  reply,  'you  have  no  lack  of 
custom.  As  it  is  this  day's  business  has  left  many 
disappointed,  and  I  see  upon  the  further  bank  the 
fires  of  those  who  have  been  kept  waiting  the 
whole  day.  They  will  be  a  hundred  or  more  to 
claim  your  services  by  morning.' 

"  'That  is  true,'  he  answered,  'but  luckily  few 
come  as  loaded  as  you  or  with  so  many  beasts. 
This  is  none  the  less  a  good  place  of  traffic,  for  it 
is  the  only  passage  across  the  water  for  many 
miles  up  and  down  stream,  and  serves  the  main 
road  through  the  kingdom.' 

"I  asked  him  why  had  he  not  thought  to  meet 
the  pressure  by  purchasing  larger  boats,  or 
more  of  them,  and  hiring  more  men ;  since  it  was 
clear  there  was  profit  in  the  place,  and  a  greater 
demand  of  travellers  than  he  could  accommodate. 

"He  answered  again  in  the  surly  tone  which 
people  use  when  they  boast  of  changless  custom, 
that  the  old  boat  had  been  good  enough  for  his 
father  and  had  served  him  all  his  own  life,  and 
was  good  enough  for  him.  By  this  reply  I  saw 
that  he  was  without  the  funds  for  replacing  his 
old  boat  by  more  and  better  craft.  This  my  dis- 
covery was  the  beginning  of  all  that  followed. 

"Before  striking  my  camp  the  next  day  I  first 
put  the  old  ferryman  in  a  reasonable  humour  by 
giving  him  good  food  and  drink  and  treating  him 
honestly  in  my  conversation.    When  I  saw  that  he 

64 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

was  in  a  mood  to  be  approached  I  suggested  tliat 
we  should  enter  a  kind  of  partnership. 

''  *I  am,'  said  I,  'quite  at  my  leisure.  I  am 
mider  no  need  to  go  forward  until  I  choose.  I 
have  thought  of  hiring  some  one  of  these  habita- 
tions which  I  see  in  yonder  grove,  and  of  making 
a  long  sojourn  here,  for  the  perpetual  spectacle  of 
all  this  traffic  crossing  and  re-crossing  a  great 
river  under  the  mountains  is  a  delight.' 

* '  The  old  ferryman  answered  that  he  needed  no 
partner,  that  he  earned  all  that  he  needed  by  his 
trade  and  that  he  preferred  to  be  alone.  He  also 
said  that  my  foreign  face  was  distasteful  to  him, 
and  that  grand  people  were  often  less  trustworthy 
than  they  seemed. 

**  'Your  sentiments,'  I  answered,  'are  a  proof 
of  your  wisdom,  and  also  do  you  honour.  But 
has  it  not  occurred  to  you  that  if  in  the  place  of 
this  one  old  craft  half  a  dozen  good  new  boats, 
much  larger  and  properly  manned,  were  provided, 
more  comers  would  be  tempted  to  pass  here, 
there  would  be  less  delay,  both  the  volume  of 
traffic  and  the  pace  would  be  increased?  I  cannot 
but  think  it  an  excellent  proposition.' 

"I  have  found,  my  dear  nephews,  that  obstinate 
old  men  are  easier  to  shepherd  into  financial 
schemes  than  any  other  sort:  nor  was  I  here 
disappointed. 

"The  old  mule  made  the  admission  which  all 
such  men  make  after  the  first  conventional  delays. 
He  said:  'That  is  all  very  well,  but  who  is  to 
pay  for  them?' 

"I  replied  quietly  that  I  would.  'I  shall  be 
delighted,'  said  I,  'to  furnish  half  a  dozen  new 

65 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

boats  and  to  pay  for  the  men  to  row  them  mitil 
the  new  turnover  begins.  All  I  ask  is  that  you 
shall  still  keep  your  present  earnings,  but  share 
with  me  in  equal  amounts  the  new  and  extra 
earnings  which  my  plan  will  almost  certainly 
produce. ' 

*'It  took  me  some  time  to  rub  into  his  rusty 
head  the  terms  of  my  very  favourable  proposal. 
He  kept  on  mixing  up  the  division  of  any  future 
profits  and  the  division  of  his  present  income. 
Never  did  I  appreciate  more  than  during  my 
conversations  with  this  stupid  granfer  the  neces- 
sity for  patience  in  spreading  a  commercial 
snare.  I  was  at  fearful  pains  to  get  the  thing 
into  his  obtuse  brain.  He  could  be  no  poorer, 
for  I  asked  nothing  of  his  present  earnings:  he 
might  be  much  richer,  for  he  would  have  half 
any  future  additions.  I  would  guarantee  him  the 
income  he  was  already  earning  on  condition  that 
the  much  larger  income  to  be  earned  by  my 
methods  should,  over  and  above  that  guaranteed 
revenue  of  his,  be  equally  divided  between  us. 

*'He  still  seemed  to  think  that  there  was  some 
flaw  or  catch  somewhere.  He  wanted  the  thing, 
simple  as  it  was,  explained  to  him  over  and  over 
again.  At  last  he  got  it  clear;  he  got  by  heart 
and  repeated  the  refrain :  '  Cannot  be  poorer,  may 
be  richer.'  Nor  did  it  occur  to  him  to  wonder 
why  I  was  so  oddly  generous. 

''I  had  our  contract  drawn  up  in  due  form, 
witnessed  and  sealed.  I  then  caused  to  be  con- 
structed by  the  local  shipwrights  four  first-class 
flat  boats,  some  ten  dirani  long  by  five  wide.  I 
Baw  to  it  that  they  should  be  painted  in  gay 

66 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BEIDGE 

colours  and  in  general  have  that  vulgar  violence 
so  attractive  to  the  masses.  On  their  completion 
I  added  them  to  the  existing  capital  of  the  ferry 
line. 

"At  the  same  time  I  pointed  out  to  him  who 
was  now  my  partner  something  which  that  same 
stupidity  of  his  had  made  him  miss,  to  wit,  that 
as  he  had  a  monopoly  his  charges  were  far  too 
low.  'Moreover,'  said  I,  'when  you  consider 
what  fine  new  boats  I  have  put  into  service  and 
how,  as  a  consequence,  the  stream  of  traffic  is 
increasing,  to  neglect  the  opportunity  of  profit 
is  a  great  sin  for  which  you  will  be  answerable  on 
the  Day  of  Resurrection.  Why,  it  was  but  yester- 
day that  you  passed  over  twice  as  many  people, 
you  assured  me,  as  ever  you  did  in  any  other  one 
day  in  your  life!' 

''So  wedded  to  custom  was  the  old  gentleman 
that  he  still  hesitated,  but  remembering  how 
right  I  had  been  in  my  innovation  and  unable  to 
contest  the  evidence  of  his  own  eyes  how  from 
day  to  day  the  volume  of  traffic  increased,  he  at 
last  somewhat  reluctantly  consented.  The  fares 
were  doubled,  yet  the  applications  of  people 
desiring  to  cross  the  river  grew  no  less.  There 
arose  a  substantial  profit,  over  and  above  the  old 
ferryman's  original  income,  to  be  divided  between 
us,  and  judged  by  the  cost  of  the  new  boats 
I  was  making  some  ten  per  cent,  upon  my  money, 
a  very  reasonable  profit  under  the  circum- 
stances. ..." 

Here  Mahmoud  the  great  merchant,  paused, 
shut  his  eyes  for  a  few  moments,  and  continued 
in  a  murmur.    "A  very  reasonable  profit.    Ten. 

67 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

per  cent.,  a  very  reasonable  profit."  Then,  sud- 
denly opening  his  eyes  fiercely,  he  fixed  them 
upon  his  alarmed  nephews  and  cried. 

''Was  it  not  strange  for  a  man  of  my  tempera- 
ment to  remain  thus  pottering  with  a  few  boats 
and  leaving  sacks  full  of  coin  unused?  You  have 
only  heard  the  beginning  of  the  scheme  upon 
which  I  was  engaged! 

*'I  had  already  purchased  a  very  nice  little 
property  with  a  convenient  house  upon  it,  stand- 
ing some  yards  back  from  the  bank  of  the  river 
and  perhaps  one  hundred  yards  above  the  ferry. 

'*I  next  purchased  a  field  upon  the  further 
bank,  exactly  opposite  this  house  and  its  garden. 
I  amused  myself  sometimes  by  rowing  across  the 
river  from  the  steps  at  the  foot  of  my  ground  to 
the  field  which  I  had  purchased  upon  the  other 
side.  I  sowed  that  field  with  beans  of  a  particu- 
lar kind  with  which  (so  I  assured  my  neighbours), 
I  was  experimenting  after  an  agricultural  fashion. 
They  were  much  interested,  for  agriculture  is 
highly  developed  in  that  part,  with  the  result  that 
the  highest  arts,  especially  those  of  finance,  are 
shamefully  neglected. 

"I  allowed  a  few  months  to  pass,  during  which 
the  use  of  the  ferry  under  my  improved  methods 
had  more  than  trebled.  It  attracted  to  itself, 
now  that  the  passage  was  so  much  e^.-  .or,  forms 
of  traffic  which  it  had  hitherto  not  known.  I  even 
added  to  the  fleet  one  huge  pontoon  for  the  special 
service  of  an  elephant  which  we  had  warning  was 
to  pass,  and  when  this  was  known,  those  great 
animals,  which  had  previously  used  a  ford  several 

68 


AL-KANTABA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

days  up-stream,  were  attracted  to  the  shorter 
mountain  road  by  the  ferry. 

*'When  all  this  was  so  prosperously  estab- 
lished, I  informed  a  few  of  the  friends  I  had  made 
in  the  neighbourhood  that  I  must  indulge  in  the 
fancy  of  a  rich  man  and  amuse  myself  by  throw- 
ing a  bridge  between  my  house  and  the  field  I 
had  bought  upon  the  other  shore.  'It  will  save 
me,'  said  I,  'the  perpetual  trouble  of  rowing  across 
in  my  little  skiff  and  also  occupy  my  leisure ;  for 
I  am  something  of  an  engineer.' 

' '  In  truth  very  little  engineering  was  required. 
All  I  had  to  do  was  to  drive  strong  piles  at  inter- 
vals into  the  stream,  lay  trestles  upon  them,  stay 
them  with  large  baulks  upon  either  side,  and  so 
make  a  good  working  bridge.  It  was  no  more  than 
fit  for  foot  traffic,  but  for  this  it  was  very  con- 
venient. 

''Having  now  this  communication  I  bought 
more  land  upon  the  further  bank  and  developed 
there  a  very  nice  little  model  farm.  I  will  not  deny 
that  foot  passengers  would  occasionally  ask  my 
leave  to  cross  by  the  bridge  in  order  to  save  them 
the  tedious  passage  by  water.  These  I  always 
refused  lest  it  should  prejudice  the  interests  of 
my  friend  the  ferryman ;  I  made  an  exception  only 
for  one  or  two  neighbours  whom  I  desired  to 
favour,  f  occasionally  for  really  important  peo- 
ple with  whom  the  ferr\anan  would  not  desire  to 
quarrel.  But  I  have  a  good  heart,  and  at  last  I 
began  to  wink  at  the  use  of  the  bridge  by  more 
than-th^se.  Children  especially  (for  I  am  very 
fond  of  young  people)  I  could  not  bear  to  con- 
demn to  the  troublesome  passage  by  ferry,  and  I 

69 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

gave  orders  to  my  people  to  allow  their  trespass. 

**At  last  a  regular  path  got  established  through 
my  farm,  and  whether  from  slackness  or  generos- 
ity I  know  not,  but  I  allowed  the  crossing  of  the 
river  by  my  bridge  to  increase  in  volume  and  to 
become  a  daily  practice.  When  it  had  reached  a 
certain  volume  my  detestation  of  disorder  com- 
pelled me  to  make  certain  regulations.  I  put  up 
a  gate  at  either  end  and  charged  a  purely  nominal 
sum  which  went,  as  I  pointed  out,  to  the  upkeep 
of  the  bridge ;  though,  of  course,  it  did  not  nearly 
meet  that  expenditure. 

**To  avoid  the  length  and  inconvenience  of  the 
passage  by  water  this  toll  was  cheerfully  paid, 
and  as  the  season  advanced  my  bridge  was  more 
and  more  used. 

**My  partner,  the  old  ferryman,  saw  all  this 
with  a  confused  eye.  He  had  the  sense  to  see 
that  I  would  not  hurt  my  own  investment  by  com- 
petition, yet  he  could  not  but  perceive  that  there 
was  here  an  increasing  rivalry  to  his  own  long- 
established  route. 

"At  last  he  approached  me  and  asked  me  if  we 
could  not  come  to  some  pact;  I  said  that  I  saw 
no  occasion  for  that.  There  was  plenty  of  room 
for  both.  I  was  a  wealthy  man,  and  an  act  of  gen- 
erosity was  a  kind  of  luxury  for  me;  I  could 
hardly  ask  people  who  had  now  grown  used  to  so 
easy  a  passage  to  go  back  to  the  monopoly  of 
the  boats  with  their  primitive,  slow  and  clumsy 
business  of  embarking  and  disembarking,  and 
their  necessary  delays  and  crowding.  I  pointed 
out  to  my  revered  partner  that  the  boats  were 
still  necessary  for  all  heavy  merchandise  and  for 

70 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

animals,  and  I  also  pointed  out  very  strongly  to 
the  ferryman  what  he  could  not  deny,  that  I 
would  hardly  do  anything  to  prejudice  him  since 
that  would  be  also  to  prejudice  myself,  as  I  was 
his  partner.  I  even  ridiculed  him  for  not  per- 
ceiving the  force  of  such  an  argument  before  com- 
ing to  me,  and  for  troubling  me  with  what  was 
obviously  nonsense. 

''He  still  grumbled,  however.  He  said  that  he 
was  no  scholar,  that  it  sounded  all  right,  but  that 
he  did  not  feel  comfortable.  I  answered  that  I 
could  not  help  his  feelings,  but  it  was  a  plain 
matter  of  common  sense,  and  so  dismissed  him. 

''I  then  announced  my  intention  of  strengthen- 
ing the  bridge  considerably  and  making  it  suffi- 
cient to  support  any  kind  of  traffic.  And  so  I  did, 
at  a  very  considerable  expense.  When  I  had  com- 
pleted the  task  it  was  a  fine  structure  which  would 
take  every  kind  of  beast  of  burden  and  vehicle, 
and  a  constant  stream  of  foot-passengers.  The 
only  exception  I  made  was  for  elephants,  which 
animal  (I  said)  I  might  allow  later,  but  not  until 
I  had  had  the  whole  thing  thoroughly  tested. 
These  beasts,  therefore,  still  had  to  use  the  ferry : 
but  as  they  were  few  in  number  and  difficult  to 
handle  they  only  increased  my  partner's  troubles. 

"Meanwhile  the  fame  of  my  bridge  spread 
throughout  all  the  neighbouring  countries,  it  gath- 
ered upon  itself  the  whole  volume  of  commerce. 

"The  old  ferryman  came  to  me  in  a  mixed  mood 
of  anger,  panic  and  delirious  complaint.  He  said 
that  his  revenue  was  falling  with  alarming  rapid- 
ity, added  (a  little  spitefully  I  thought)  that  my 
share  of  that  revenue  would  be  not  a  quarter  of 

71 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

what  it  had  been  in  the  past  year,  and  said  very 
plainly  that  if  I  did  not  make  some  change  in  my 
regulations  my  own  profit  would  disappear  alto- 
gether :  that  nothing  would  be  left  but  his  original 
revenue  and  that  even  this  was  now  in  doubt. 
As  I  answered  nothing  to  all  this  long  plea  but 
let  him  talk  himself  out  he  ended  up  by  asking, 
with  some  irony,  whether  I  was  one  of  those  rich 
fools  who  liked  to  throw  away  their  money. 

''Then  it  was  that  I  answered  him  as  he  de- 
served to  be  answered,  for  I  do  not  easily  brook 
insult.  I  told  him  that  I  had  mortgaged  my  share 
in  the  enterprise  of  the  boats  sometime  before  to 
a  neighbour  at  a  very  good  price  before  ever  the 
bridge  had  appeared,  that  I  was  sufficiently  pes- 
tered by  this  man  who  ascribed  to  me  the  con- 
tinued dechne  in  the  revenue  which  I  received 
and  handed  over  to  him,  and  that  I  would  not  have 
added  to  this  perpetual  annoyance  the  further 
complaint  of  my  inept  partner.  I  drove  him  from 
my  presence  and  told  him  I  desired  never  to  see 
him  again. 

* '  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  I  had  been  approached 
properly  I  would  have  made  some  sort  of  com- 
pensation to  the  neighbour  to  whom  I  had  mort- 
gaged at  a  fine  figure  my  original  share  in  the 
profits  of  the  ferry.  I  had  enjoyed  a  large  sum 
which  he  could  now  never  recover,  and  I  might 
have  let  him  have  a  fifth  or  a  quarter  of  it  back, 
merely  as  a  piece  of  generosity.  But  when  I 
discovered  that  he  had  himself  resold  his  interest 
to  an  ignoramus  who  was  at  that  moment  trying 
to  find  a  purchaser  for  his  rapidly  shrinking  prop- 
erty I  lost  all  patience  with  the  combination  of 

72 


AL-KANTAEA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

them  and  put  every  thought  of  the  ferry  out  of 
my  mind.  The  new  purchaser  foreclosed  on  his 
mortgage  and  got  for  the  ferry  one-third  of  what 
he  had  lent  on  it. 

'*It  was  shortly  after  this  transaction  that  the 
old  ferryman  went  mad.  It  began  by  his  coming 
to  my  house  daily  and  making  scenes  outside  the 
doors.  Then  he  took  to  breaking  the  windows,  and 
at  last  to  gathering  crowds  and  haranguing  them 
on  his  imaginary  persecution  at  my  hands.  I  was 
compelled  to  have  him  locked  up  in  his  own  de- 
fence, and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  a  merciful  fever 
soon  relieved  him  of  what  had  become  incurable 
delusions.  He  did  not  recover  his  sanity,  how- 
ever, as  is  so  often  the  case,  even  in  the  last  few 
hours  before  death.  He  continued  to  call  me  the 
most  dreadful  names,  and  to  rave,  in  his  mania 
of  persecution,  shouting  that  he  had  been  robbed 
and  ruined.  It  was  a  pitiful  ending  to  what  had 
long  been  a  useful  if  obscure  life. 

''As  I  could  not  bear  to  see  the  men  whom  he 
had  employed  starve  I  took  them  into  my  own 
employ  for  the  making  of  a  roadway  to  the  bridge, 
for  the  further  strengthening  of  it,  the  painting 
of  it  and  so  on,  and  sent  all  the  ferry-boats  down 
the  river  where  they  would  be  of  more  use  than 
at  this  part  where  by  my  enterprise  and  public 
spirit  the  bridge  had  come  into  existence.  I  pur- 
chased them  as  old  timber  from  the  owners  and 
made  an  insignificant  profit  of  some  few  thousand 
dinars. 

"It  is  a  pretty  example  of  the  way  in  which 
names  cling  to  places  that  the  point  on  the  bank 
where  the  ferry  used  to  ply  is  stiU  called  'The 

73 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

Madman's  Grave.'  For,  indeed,  the  old  fellow 
was  buried,  I  heard,  by  his  own  request,  close  to 
where  his  boat  used  to  ply. 

''It  was  now  high  time  to  consider  the  whole 
question  of  the  bridge  and  its  finances.  Through 
my  goodness  of  heart  and  generous  carelessness — 
defects  or  amiable  frailties  against  which  I  have 
always  to  be  upon  my  guard — the  whole  thing  had 
got  into  a  very  unbusiness-like  condition.  The 
tolls  were  not  more  than  customary  payments, 
though  I  had  raised  them  from  time  to  time. 
There  was  no  careful  distinction  between  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  traffic.  There  were  no  regulations 
for  the  hours  at  which  the  bridge  should  be  used, 
nor  ready  means  of  checking  the  accounts. 

"The  new  Bridge  had  caused  the  town  to  in- 
crease largely.  Its  governors  and  those  of  the 
adjoining  districts  were  rightly  concerned  in  its 
proper  ordering. 

"The  authorities  of  the  neighbourhood  fully 
agreed  with  me  that  it  was  necessary  to  put  the 
thing  upon  a  more  regular  footing.  I  suggested 
to  them  that  before  going  further  it  would  be  but 
a  kindly  and  reasonable  act  to  consult  those  who 
made  regular  use  of  the  bridge  upon  a  large 
scale,  and  especially  the  merchants  of  the  place 
and  of  the  more  distant  towns  upon  the  farther 
bank  who  crossed  and  recrossed  at  stated  intervals 
and  with  considerable  trains  of  traffic.  These, 
therefore,  were  courteously  convened.  They  were 
regarded  as  representing  the  mass  of  humbler 
footfolk  and  between  us  all  we  drew  up  an  ex- 
cellent arrangement. 

"First  we  made  ourselves  into  a  Council.    Next 

74 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BEIDGE 

we  voted  ourselves  full  powers  to   do   what  we 
liked  in  managing  the  Bridge. 

*  *  The  merchants  who  were  regular  users  of  the 
bridge  and  who  passed  and  repassed  with  their 
trains  upon  an  average  once  a  month,  were  to  be 
free  of  toll  on  condition  that  they  should  pay  an 
annual  subscription  to  the  upkeep  of  the  structure. 
It  came  to  an  average,  for  each  of  their  beasts  of 
burden,  to  about  one-quarter  of  the  public  toll, 
and  for  each  of  their  servants  to  less  than  one-half. 

'^The  common  folk  of  the  town  and  the  villages, 
the  herdsmen  and  all  the  humbler  multitude 
which  used  the  bridge  in  less  lucrative  fashion 
were  to  pay  a  toll  double  the  original,  which,  after 
all,  was  only  fair  when  one  considered  that  they 
were  compelled  to  use  the  bridge  as  there  was 
now  no  other  passage  across  the  stream.  I  should 
add  that  the  local  authorities  which  sat  with  us 
upon  this  Council,  after  drawing  up  the  Ordi- 
nances, passed  a  local  By-law  full  of  common  sense 
and  the  spirit  of  order.  In  this  By-law  they  for- 
bade the  use  of  any  boats  whatsoever  for  the 
crossing  of  the  water,  under  the  excellent  plea 
that  men  had  in  the  past  occasionally  been 
drowned  from  these  and  that,  anyhow,  there  was 
now  a  good  bridge  and  no  necessity  for  this  old- 
fashioned  and  backward  kind  of  travel. 

**  People  were  also  forbidden  to  swim  the  river 
between  sunset  and  sunrise  upon  the  grounds  of 
security  and  police  control,  and  between  sunrise 
and  sunset  upon  the  grounds  of  decency. 

''After  the  new  regulations  had  been  passed  the 
gates  were  strengthened,  regular  officers  were  ap- 
pointed to  take  the  toll  and  I  was  public-spirited 

75 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

enough  to  permit  my  owii  servants  to  be  with- 
drawn and  these  officials  to  be  named  (and  paid) 
by  the  new  Council,  retaining  to  myself  no  more 
than  the  right  of  receiving  the  tolls  and  taking  on 
of  course  the  burden  of  upkeep  as  against  the 
^ums  which  I  received  from  the  regular  merchants. 
I  also  reserved  to  myself  the  right,  whenever  the 
Council  or  the  local  authorities  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  have  the  bridge  strengthened  or  repaired 
or  painted,  or  ornamented,  or  decorated  upon 
feast  days,  or  covered  with  an  awning  during  the 
great  heats,  to  take  up  the  contract  for  all  these 
services  at  a  price  to  be  agreed  upon  between  my- 
self and  the  Council  and  the  local  authorities,  at 
the  head  of  whom  was  my  dear  old  friend  the 
Sheik. 

''When  all  these  arrangements  had  been  made, 
the  thing  was  on  a  proper  basis  and  formed,  I  am 
glad  to  say,  for  many  other  similar  arrangements 
a  precedent,  in  which  the  advantages  of  the  pub- 
lic and  a  proper  return  on  capital  were  both  con- 
sidered. My  'Bridge  Council'  as  it  was  called  was 
copied  in  many  another  enterprise  in  those  parts, 
to  not  a  few  of  which  I  was  admitted  as  a  director. 

"But  one  must  march  with  the  times.  It  could 
not  be  denied  that  this  conservative  and  estab- 
lished way  of  recouping  expenses  and  interest  by 
tolls,  excellent  in  its  time,  no  doubt,  had  its  draw- 
backs. There  was  something  rather  absurd  in 
these  progressive  days  (such  was  the  phrase  used 
to  me  by  my  friend  the  Sheik  of  the  place — which 
was  now  growing  under  the  influence  of  my  bridge 
to  be  a  very  large  town),  there  was  something 
rather  absurd  in  the  spectacle  of  gates  put  up  to 

76 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

block  that  very  passage  which  had  only  been 
erected  for  the  convenience  of  the  community! 
What  would  not  posterity  think  of  us  if  they  heard 
that  we  built  a  bridge  and  then  put  up  gates  to 
interfere  with  its  constant  and  easy  use!  It  was 
a  burden  also  upon  the  community  that  officials 
should  have  to  be  employed  at  either  end  checking 
payments,  keeping  books  and  all  the  rest  of  it. 

''"What  was  worse,  there  seemed  to  be  some 
leakage.  Officials  could  not  always  be  trusted  to 
make  an  exact  return  (for  they  were  of  the  baser 
sort  at  a  small  salary).  It  was  suspected  that 
their  relatives  and  friends  had  been  allowed  to 
cross  free  of  toll,  for  we  could  not  keep  a  big 
watch  at  night  and  there  was  I  fear  a  good  deal  of 
illicit  use  of  the  bridge. 

''All  of  this,  quite  apart  from  the  bad  example 
it  gave  and  the  feeling  of  disorder  it  created,  was 
also  a  source  of  anxiety  to  those  who  were  con- 
cerned with  the  finance  of  the  enterprise.  The 
feeling  grew  rapidly — at  least  it  grew  very 
strongly  in  me  and  I  made  every  effort  to  spread 
it  in  others — that  Progress  and  sundry  other  vir- 
tues with  which  the  Plain  prided  itself  (as  against 
the  half -barbaric  people  of  the  mountains)  de- 
manded that  all  these  anomalies  should  cease,  and 
that  the  simple  policy  of  'THE  FREE  BRIDGE' 
should  triumph. ' ' 

As  the  aged  merchant  described  the  last  stage  of 
his  adventure  his  face  took  on  an  animated  look; 
he  spoke  with  decision;  there  was  a  freedom  in 
his  gesture  which  recalled  his  old  oratorical  tri- 
umphs when  he  had  occasion  as  a  younger  man  to 
combine  the  practice  of  commerce,  investment  and 

77 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

finance  with  the  public  speeches  which  had  ren- 
dered him  famous.  He  seemed,  for  the  moment, 
not  so  much  the  Merchant  as  the  Senator,  the 
Free  Bridgeite  of  the  great  old  days,  and  his 
nephews  could  not  but  admire  the  lofty  air,  the 
direct  glance,  the  eloquent  vibration  of  voice  which 
accompanied  this  mood. 

**I  for  my  part,"  continued  the  old  gentleman, 
now  transformed  by  the  recollection  of  his  part 
in  public  life,  *'did  not  fear  to  speak  openly  in 
the  Council  and  (such  was  my  love  for  my  fellow- 
citizens)  even  in  the  market-place.  I  was  untir- 
ing in  explaining  the  simple  economic  principles 
underlying  the  policy  of  The  Free  Bridge.  I  was 
delighted  to  observe,  as  my  efforts  proceeded,  two 
parties  forming — the  Free  Bridgeites,  who  had 
the  tide  with  them  and  were  in  the  spirit  of  their 
day,  and  another  party  which,  for  lack  of  a  better 
name,  I  will  call  the  Recalcitrants,  who  were  but 
a  hotchpotch  of  evil-minded  malcontents,  dolts, 
public  enemies,  and  in  general  a  body  who  had  no 
argument  save  that  things  were  very  well  as  they 
were  and  it  was  a  pity  to  change. 

''I  need  scarcely  tell  you  which  of  these  com- 
peting interests  won.  Intelligence,  business  enter- 
prise, public  spirit,  common  sense,  justice  and 
eighteen  or  nineteen  other  things  which  for  the 
moment  escape  me  supported  the  glorious  triumph 
of  The  Free  Bridge.  At  last,  when  the  moment 
was  ripe  for  it  to  be  voted  upon,  we  swept  our 
opponents  out  of  existence  at  the  polls,  securing 
out  of  every  100  votes  no  less  than  fifty-three  for 
our  project. 

* '  The  Sheik  who,  in  the  growing  importance  of 

78 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BEIDGE 

the  community  was  now  confirmed  in  his  office  by 
his  Sovereign  under  the  title  of  Excellent,  deliv- 
ered an  unforgettable  harangue,  saying  that  the 
Day  when  the  tolls  should  be  taken  off  the  Bridge 
and  the  gates  thrown  down  would  stand  in  the 
annals  of  his  country  next  to  its  historic  Charter 
and  its  acceptance  of  the  Truth  Faith.  Amid  the 
deafening  shouts  of  a  vast  concourse,  composed, 
as  I  was  amused  to  discover,  of  both  parties  in- 
differently, but  all  out  for  the  occasion,  this  great 
official  proceeded  in  state  to  the  entrance  of  the 
bridge,  cut  symbolically  the  silken  thread  with 
which  the  gates  upon  either  end  had  been  tied  and 
in  loud  tones  declared  the  bridge  open  in  the  name 
of  Allah  and  his  Prophet.  Women  wept  pro- 
fusely and  even  strong  men  had  difficulty  in  hid- 
ing their  emotion;  only  the  younger  of  the  chil- 
dren and  the  animals  accompanying  the  proces- 
sion appeared  indifferent.  Of  the  four  officials 
deputed  for  the  watching  of  the  tolls  two  were 
thrown  into  jail  on  the  charge  of  malversation; 
the  other  two  were,  on  my  making  an  appeal  for 
them,  allowed  to  leave  the  country. 

' '  The  head  of  the  opposing  party  who  had  done 
his  best  to  defeat  this  great  and  necessary  re- 
form now,  upon  payment,  openly  admitted  that 
he  was  converted;  whatever  sentimental  attach- 
ment he  might  still  cherish  for  his  old  views,  he 
now  clearly  saw  that  they  were  no  longer  practical 
politics. 

''The  gardens  of  the  city  were  illuminated  for 
three  successive  nights,  cannon  were  fired  and  in 
view  of  the  quite  exceptional  character  of  the 
occasion  many  criminals  were  pardoned,  including 

79 


THE  MEEGY  OF  ALLAH 

the  young  brother  of  the  head  of  the  opposition 
who,  under  an  assumed  name,  had  languished  in 
jail  for  several  months. 

''In  all  this  enthusiasm  it  was  easier  to  get 
through  the  practical  details  of  the  change,  as  the 
obstacle  of  petty  detailed  criticism  proceeding 
from  an  ignorant  public  was  removed. 

"A  new  Constitution  was  happily  agreed  upon 
in  place  of  the  old  revenue  from  tolls.  This  old 
revenue  had  fluctuated  between  the  annual 
amounts  of  15,000  and  25,000  dinars.  To  replace 
it  and  to  allow  for  all  contingencies  a  fixed  sum 
of  30,000  dinars  was  put  aside  as  an  annual 
charge  upon  the  public  rates  to  be  allocated  to 
the  Service  of  the  Bridge.  This  sum  would,  of 
course,  in  the  natural  course  of  things  have  been 
paid  annually  to  myself.    But  I  had  other  plans. 

''After  this  decision  to  allocate  30,000  dinars 
had  been  arrived  at  by  a  unanimous  vote  I  ere 
ated  a  very  favourable  impression  when  I  rose  in 
my  place  and  said  that  I  would  never  occupy  the 
privileged  and,  in  my  view,  corrupt  position  of  a 
citizen  drawing  a  regular  pension  from  my  fel- 
lows. However  great  my  services  had  been  in  the 
past,  I  was  glad  that  they  should  be  at  the  dis- 
posal of  my  country — for  so  I  called  the  place, 
having  lived  in  it  now  two  years  and  more.  I 
could  not  bear  to  think  that  I  was,  as  it  were, 
sucking  the  very  life-blood  of  the  community  and 
drawing  into  my  private  coffers  pence  which  had 
been  contributed,  for  the  most  part,  by  the  hum- 
blest of  my  dear  countrymen. 

"Agreement  had  already  been  shown  with  this 
announcement — which  came  from  th  depth  of  my 

80 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

heart — ^when  the  Council  was  overjoyed  to  hear 
my  conclusion.  It  was,  if  anything,  even  more 
sincere.  'I  will  accept, '  said  I,  'if  you  really  insist 
upon  it,  a  sum  of  money  down  which  might  repre- 
sent the  capitalized  value  of  the  revenue,  but  I 
absolutely  refuse  upon  any  terms  whatsoever  to 
remain  a  mere  drone  supported  by  this  active  com- 
mercial community,  skimming  the  cream  off  the 
taxes  and  feeling  myself  a  burden  where  I  should 
be  an  aid.' 

'' Applause  was  almost  unknown  in  the  digni- 
fied debates  of  our  assembly,  but  upon  this  occa- 
sion it  could  not  be  restrained ;  for  some  minutes 
together  the  grave  but  voluminous  cheers  of  my 
colleagues  assured  me  that  I  had  done  right  and 
amply  compensated  me  for  any  loss  that  I  might 
suffer,  supposing  (which  was,  after  all,  improb- 
able) the  revenue  from  the  bridge  in  the  future 
would  largely  rise. 

' '  Such  is  the  frailty  of  human  nature  that  per- 
haps the  recognition  of  my  good  deed  would  have 
been  less  frank,  or  less  simple,  had  the  Council 
themselves  been  compelled  to  find  the  money  out 
of  their  own  pockets.  But  there  was  no  question 
of  this.  The  burden  must  fall,  as  was  only  just, 
upon  the  whole  body  of  citizens,  since  all  used  the 
bridge.  My  proposal  met  therefore  with  enthus- 
iastic assent  from  every  side,  and  one  speaker  in 
the  ensuing  debate  (a  friend  who,  in  his  humble 
way,  was  associated  with  other  of  my  lesser  enter- 
prises) pointed  out  what  I  could  not  in  decency 
have  alluded  to,  that  I  also  was  a  taxpayer,  and 
a  large  one ;  so  that  any  pubhc  payment  was  borne 
partly  by  myself.    The  Sheik,  in  closing  the  dis- 

81 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

ciission,  after  a  few  compliments  which  my  nat- 
ural modesty  forbids  me  to  repeat,  said  that 
clearly  nothing  was  now  left  but  to  make  a  com- 
putation— a  mere  matter  of  book-keeping — and 
that  this  detail  might  safely  be  left  to  a  small 
committee  of  three,  which  was  nominated  upon  the 
spot ;  their  work  was  of  course  honorary,  for  they 
were  men  of  high  standing ;  but  I  saw  to  it  that  all 
their  expenses  and  other  disbursements  should  bo 
met  and  I  gave  them  much  hospitality.  The  Com- 
mittee met  at  intervals  during  the  ensuing  three 
weeks.  I  appeared  frequently  before  this  Com- 
mittee in  the  capacity  of  witness,  I  produced  all 
my  books  and  had,  I  am  glad  to  say,  the  restraint 
and  good  feeling  to  let  things  take  their  course 
and  not  to  haggle  as  though  this  great  public  set- 
tlement had  been  a  private  commercial  deal.  It  is 
enough  to  say  that  at  the  end  of  this  proceeding 
the  sum  of  1,400,000  dinars  was  awarded  to  me 
by  the  arbitrators  and  that  I,  after  protesting 
against  what  I  called  the  excessive  generosity  of 
the  State,  then  added  to  my  popularity  by  erecting 
at  my  own  charges  a  fine  gate  of  entry  at  the  city 
end  of  the  bridge  which  absorbed  half  the  odd 
400,000;  the  other  half  I  gave  in  a  burst  of  gen- 
erosity to  the  members  of  the  committee :  not  of 
course  in  their  public  capacity  but  privately,  as 
being  my  personal  friends,  and  in  reward  for  their 
untiring  public  spirit. 

**I  was  left  with  a  million. 

^*I  was  fully  content. 

**I  desired  no  more." 

*'But,  uncle,"  timidly  interrupted  the  eldest  of 
'82 


AL-KANTARA,  OR  THE  BRIDGE 

the  nephews,  "I  am  puzzled  by  one  thing.    Will 
you  allow  me  to  ask  you  a  question  upon  it?" 

"Certainly,  my  dear  lad,"  said  the  old  man, 
stroking  liis  beard  and  awaiting  the  query. 

''Why,  uncle,"  said  the  boy,  still  hesitating 
somewhat,  ''it  is  this.  I  do  not  quite  see  how  it 
came  that  you  should  have  a  million  dinars.  You 
came  to  this  place  with  half  a  million,  how  then 
did  it  become  one  million  1 ' ' 

The  folly  of  the  question  raised  a  titter  from 
his  brothers,  who  had  always  regarded  their  sen- 
ior as  the  least  brilliant  of  their  clan.  But  their 
uncle  was  more  lenient  and  checked  their  mirth 
(which  was  especially  loud  in  the  youngest),  and 
said : 

"My  dear  boy,  do  you  see  anything  extraor- 
dinary in  an  accretion  of  fortune  to  a  man  who 
served  the  community  so  well?" 

"No,  not  exactly  that,"  said  the  elder  nephew, 
still  hesitating,  "far  from  it,  dear  uncle ;  but  what 
I  do  not  quite  clearly  see  is  where  the  other  half- 
million  came  from. ' ' 

"Foolish  lad!"  answered  his  relative,  now 
touched  with  annoyance.  "It  came  from  my  un- 
tiring devotion  to  the  public  service,  from  my 
foresight  in  providing  a  magnificent  bridge  which 
for  all  those  years  no  one  had  attempted;  from 
the  freely  expressed  desire  of  my  fellow-citizens 
through  their  honoured  representatives.  It  was, 
indeed,  but  a  small  recompense  for  all  the  good 
I  had  done  and  all  the  immeasurable  advantage  to 
this  town  which  my  energy  had  created." 

"Yes,  dear  uncle,  but  ..."  went  on  the  blush- 
ing lad. 

83 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

''Oh,  don^t  listen  to  him,"  cried  his  brothers  in 
chorus.  *'You  will  never  make  him  understand! 
Our  father  has  always  said  that  he  could  not  even 
do  his  arithmetic,"  and  the  shrill  laugh  of  the 
youngest  was  heard  at  the  end  of  his  protest. 

''Well,  well,"  said  Mahmoud  good-naturedly, 
*'we  will  not  quarrel  about  it." 

At  that  moment  the  intolerable  shriek  of  the 
Muezzin  calling  the  Faithful  to  prayer  was  heard 
from  the  neighbouring  minaret  and  the  somewhat 
strained  situation  was  relieved. 


<Vj 


MILH 

That  is: 
Salt 


CHAPTER  V 

ENTITLED  MILE,  OR  SALT 

WHEN  his  nephews  next  filed  into  the  pres- 
ence of  Mahmoud  at  the  honr  of  public 
executions  their  first  act  was  to  stand  in  a  line 
and  salaam;  their  next  to  push  forward  the  eld- 
est, who  with  much  catching  up  of  himself  and  in 
the  humblest  tones,  desired  to  apologize  to  his 
uncle  for  the  interruption  of  which  he  had  been 
guilty  during  their  last  audience. 

'*It  is  not  my  fault,  Revered  Sir,"  said  he, 
**that  I  was  born  a  little  thick-headed  in  the  matter 
of  figures.  The  whole  thing  has  been  explained 
to  me  most  fully  by  my  father,  my  mother,  my 
brothers,  and  sundry  guests  that  came  in  last 
night  after  the  evening  meal:  to  wi  ch  (alas !)  we 
could  not  afford  to  invite  them.  I  low  see  very 
clearly  where  and  how  a  million  can  become  two 
without  breeding,  and  I  only  hope  that  in  the  fur- 
ther story  of  your  adventures  we  shall  find 
miraculously  increasing  with  every  year  the  for- 
tune which  the  Almighty  bestowed  upon  you  in 
reward  for  your  ceaseless  efforts  to  benefit  man- 
kind." 

Having  said  this  the  lad  bowed  once  more  in 
deep  obeisance,  while,  at  a  signal  from  one  of  their 
uncle's  attendant  slaves,  all  the  brothers  sank 
cross-legged  to  the  floor  and  assumed  expressions 
of  the  most  enraptured  attention. 

87 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

"There  was  no  need,"  said  the  old  man  kindly, 
**to  refer  again  to  this  unfortunate  little  affair; 
but  since  you  have  done  so  I  am  indeed  glad  to 
learn  that  your  difficulties  have  been  explained 
away.  No  doubt  your  excellent  father,  my 
brother,  and  his  guests  made  it  plain  to  you  that, 
if  an5i;hing,  my  reward  had  been  far  below  that 
to  which  I  was  morally  entitled.  For  a  man  who 
not  only  builds  for  a  city  a  fine  bridge  but  also, 
from  a  pure  public  spirit,  leaves  it  open  and  free 
to  all,  is  worthy  of  very  high  reward  indeed  at  the 
hands  of  the  Commonwealth.  But,  to  tell  the 
truth,  though  I  am  not  indifferent  to  success  in 
any  task  I  take  up,  I  was  not  so  much  concerned 
with  the  worldly  advantage  of  my  increased  for- 
tune as  with  the  good  I  had  done,  and  with  the 
knowledge  that  it  would  add  to  my  glory  in  para- 
dise. For  it  is  written:  'Three  works  are  re- 
membered on  high :  The  building  of  a  bridge,  the 
digging  of  a  well,  and  the  pulling  down  of  poor 
men's  houses/ 

"In  the  last  part  of  what  you  said  (my  dear 
nephews),  I  fear  you  will  be  disappointed;  for 
the  story  I  have  to  tell  to-day"  (and  here  his  voice 
fell  to  a  graver  tone)  "is  one  of  strange  disaster. 

"I  desire  you  to  bear  my  losses  even  more 
closely  in  mind  than  the  previous  accounts  of  my 
rising  fortunes  or  than  those  other  accounts  which 
will  follow  and  will  show  how  I  recovered  my 
standing  in  the  world.  For  it  would  indeed  be  a 
poor  service  I  should  do  you  young  people  if  I 
were  to  leave  you  under  the  error  that  energy  and 
adventure  alone  add  gold  to  gold:  no,  nor  even 

88 


MILH,  OR  SALT 

cunning.  For  there  is  also  the  Will  of  the  Su- 
preme. 

''What  is  the  Sleight  of  Hand  or  Eye,  without 
Him?"  asked  the  old  Merchant  in  a  rapture  (as 
his  youngest  nephew  cleverly  swallowed  a  yawn). 
' '  Do  you  hope  for  gain  by  the  folly  of  your  dupe 
or  even  by  your  own  stupidity?  It  is  far  other- 
wise! 

"Our  Sacred  Books  present  us  with  many  an  ex- 
ample of  good  men  whom  the  Infinite  Mercy  has 
seen  fit  to  try.  It  is  our  conduct  under  these 
ordeals  which  are  the  true  test  of  character  and 
the  only  foundations  of  our  future  and  eternal 
reward.  By  so  much  as  I  ascribe  to  the  Mercy  of 
Allah  whatever  goods  have  befallen  me,  by  so 
much  do  I  ascribe  to  His  inscrutable  wisdom  and 
kindness  even  the  sharp  reverses  of  this  life.  For 
by  these  we  learn  that  there  is  an  element  of  specu- 
lation in  all  business ;  that  we  are  surrounded  by 
the  competition  of  rivals  whom  we  should  never 
depise ;  that  our  friends  ever  lie  in  wait  to  out- 
wit us.  It  is  only  by  the  humble  acceptation  of 
such  lessons  that  we  become  even  more  acute  in 
dealing  with  our  fellow-beings  than  we  were  be- 
fore we  had  suffered  loss. 

' '  However,  I  will  not  delay,  but  proceed  at  once 
to  the  harrowing  tale.  For  you  must  now  follow 
your  poor  uncle  through  dark  and  distressing 
days. "  As  he  said  these  words  the  features  of  his 
young  relatives  betrayed  the  utmost  concern; 
none  more  than  those  of  the  youngest,  the  great 
pathos  of  whose  expression  oddly  assorted  with 
the  innocence  of  his  years. 

''You  must  know,  then,"  began  the  old  man, 
89 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

^'that  my  prime  error  at  this  moment  in  my 
career,  was  a  desire  for  ease.  I  thouglit  (I  say  it 
to  my  shame!)  that  I  had  made  enough.  To  use 
the  familiar  language  of  the  market  I  regarded 
my  present  fortune  of  a  million  dinars  as  my 
^pile.'  To  use  another  phrase  which  you  will 
come  across  very  frequently  in  your  maturer 
years,  I  was  ready  to  retire. 

*  *  Oh,  fatal  error !  Oh,  profound  ingratitude ! 
Here  was  I,  still  in  the  vigour  of  early  manhood — 
for  I  had  but  just  attained  my  thirtieth  year,  on 
the  full  tide  of  an  apparent  success,  blessed  in  all 
my  doings — and  yet  already  with  a  paltry  million 
in  hand  so  ungrateful  to  God  as  to  entertain  a 
shameful  temptation  to  leisure !  The  result  shall 
be  a  warning  to  you,  I  hope,  and  to  any  who  may 
come  across  this  recital. 

''The  insidious  poison  of  content  had,  all  un- 
known to  myself,  wormed  its  way  into  my  heart. 
I  had  (for  the  moment  at  least)  wearied  of  get- 
ting the  better  of  others — ^which  should  be  the 
chief  activity  of  a  man ;  I  was  already  toying  with 
such  fripperies  as  the  reading  of  books,  the  con- 
templation of  fine  manuscripts,  the  designing  of  a 
house  for  myself,  the  planning  of  gardens,  futile 
conversation  with  the  learned,  and,  worst  of  all, 
the  taking  of  an  interest  in  the  past.  Beyond  this 
foolish  bent  for  acquiring  knowledge  of  dead 
things,  I  descended  to  the  pen !  I  actually  began 
to  write.  To  the  writing  of  verse  (I  humbly 
thank  God!)  I  never  fell,  but  had  not  a  sharp 
chastisement  brought  me  to  my  senses  I  might 
have  come  to  it. 

**You  know,  perhaps,  my  dear  nephews,  that 

90 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

there  are  some  men  so  lost  to  all  shame  that  on 
finding  themselves  possessed  of  a  considerable 
sum  they  will  not  embark  it  in  commerce  nor  even 
lend  it  out  at  interest  to  the  widow  and  the  orphan, 
to  the  teachers  of  our  holy  religion,  or  to  districts 
struck  by  famine ;  indeed,  they  make  no  lucrative 
employment  of  it,  but,  yielding  to  a  base  appetite 
for  repose,  they  draw  upon  it  as  they  need  until  it 
is  wholly  exhausted.** 

**0h,  how  shocking!"  piped  a  shrill  voice,  in- 
terrupting the  merchant  in  his  eloquence.  The 
cry  proceeded  from  the  youngest. 

''You  feel  strongly,  my  little  fellow,"  said  his 
uncle,  "and  you  are  quite  right.  I  am  delighted 
to  find  that  one  so  young  has  already  so  sound  a 
sense  of  our  duty  in  the  battle  of  life.  There  are, 
I  repeat,  men  so  despicable  that  they  will  put  their 
substance  aside,  taking  from  it  what  they  need 
from  day.  to  day,  until  one  of  these  two  events 
befalls  them :  at  the  worst  they  live  too  long  and 
spend  their  last  miserable  years  in  destitution: 
at  the  best  (and  it  is  a  poor  best)  they  live  too 
short,  and  have  the  infinite  mortification,  in  the 
agony  of  death,  to  discover  that  they  might  have 
had  some  slightly  larger  income  had  they  made  a 
more  exact  calculation. 

"I  am  speaking  frankly  to  you,  my  nephews  (in 
spite  of  the  difference  in  our  ages  and  of  the 
respect  you  owe  me  as  the  head  of  the  family), 
when  I  confess  so  great  a  depth  of  degradation 
as  this.  I  did  not  put  this  million  which  I  had 
acquired  aside.  I  used  it  fruitfully.  But  my 
mind  was  occupied  (even  after  so  many  years  I 
blush  to  recall  it!)  in  seeking  some  secure  and 

91 


THE  MERCY  OP  ALLAH 

permanent  form  of  revenue,  so  that  I  should  be 
free  henceforth  from  the  labour  and  risk  of  buying 
cheap  and  selling  dear,  and  from  the  duty  of 
hunting  the  dupe  and  the  incompetent. 

'•"While  I  was  revolving  in  my  mind  how  best 
I  might  obtain  this  leisure  there  came  to  me  my 
temptation.  For  a  traveller  arriving  in  the  City 
of  the  Bridge  let  it  be  known  to  the  merchants  of 
the  place  that  the  King  of  an  Island  called  Izmar, 
one  day's  sail  from  the  coast  (a  kingdom  re- 
nowned throughout  Asia  for  its  fidelity  to  the 
Prophet,  the  antiquity  of  its  customs,  the  solidity 
of  its  institutions),  required  a  loan. 

<<  <For  what  purpose?'  I  asked  him. 

**  *I  know  not,'  he  answered,  'but  I  think  it  is 
in  order  to  pay  back  another  loan  which  he  con- 
tracted some  years  ago  in  the  effort  to  pay  another 
loan  which  his  father  had  contracted  when  a  few 
years  previously  he  had  been  compelled  to  repay 
an  earlier  loan.' 

"I  admired  the  scrupulous  anxiety  of  this  mon- 
arch and  was  the  more  confirmed  in  the  project 
that  was  forming  in  my  mind.  That  very  night 
I  bade  farewell,  not  without  grief,  to  the  City  of 
the  Bridge.  I  sold  my  slaves  and  my  house  at 
some  loss  (such  was  my  infatuation!)  and  before 
it  was  light  started  out  upon  a  good  horse,  carry- 
ing with  me  my  million  dinars  reduced  to  one  hun- 
dred thousand  pieces  of  gold  which,  in  this  form, 
could  easily  be  carried  upon  a  few  pack  animals 
that  followed  me  with  their  drivers. 

"My  passage  of  the  sea  was  easy.  I  saw,  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun,  fine  mountains  against  the 
South  and  very  soon  I  discerned  at  their  base  on 

92 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

the  shore,  the  walls,  the  piers,  the  minarets  of  a 
great  city,  its  flanks  upon  the  edges  of  the  sea.  So 
did  I  land  under  a  good  augury. 

"Everything  in  the  place,  as  I  passed  through 
it,  smiled  at  my  project.  The  wealth  of  the  great 
houses,  the  busy  commerce  of  the  streets,  the  port 
quite  filled  with  shipping  from  every  place,  the 
sounds  of  strange  tongues  (men  not  only  from  all 
Islam,  but  Nazarenes  also,  and  Kafir,  and  mer- 
chants of  China),  the  excellent  order  everywhere 
about,  all  these  promised  me  the  security  which 
I  desired. 

"I  put  on  my  best  raiment,  finely  fringed,  and 
all  my  jewels  and  presented  myself  to  the  Port- 
Master  as  upon  a  matter  of  state  business,  handing 
him  at  the  same  time,  in  a  lofty  manner,  a  roll 
which  I  begged  to  have  delivered  to  the  Control- 
lers of  the  Treasury.  The  Master  of  the  Port 
treated  me  with  the  reverence  my  wealth  deserved. 
I  reposed  for  an  hour  in  the  court  of  his  house, 
resting  to  the  pleasant  trickle  of  a  fountain  and 
waiting  the  pleasure  of  the  authorities.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  a  dozen  horsemen  magnificently 
mounted  and  bearing  the  insignia  of  the  King 
formed  before  the  porch  of  my  host.  Their  com- 
mander set  foot  to  the  ground  and  begged  me 
with  a  very  low  salaam  to  mount  and  ride.  It 
would  be  his  privilege,  he  said,  to  hold  my  bridle. 

*'It  was  my  design  to  maintain  my  state,  and 
thus,  in  great  pomp,  was  I  led  through  the  busy 
streets  till  I  came  to  a  vast  archway  all  em- 
blazoned with  holy  texts.  Passing  through  this, 
I  came  into  a  more  magnificent  court  than  I  had 
thought  men  could  have  built  in  this  world.    In- 

93 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

deed,  the  folk  had  made  stories  of  it  that  it  was 
not  of  human  handicraft,  but  that  its  delicate  piers 
and  alabaster  columns  and  lovely  arches,  lighter 
and  lighter  as  they  rose  to  heaven,  had  sprung 
up  in  a  moment  at  the  command  of  spirits  in  the 
days  of  Soleiman,  from  whom  the  monarchs  of 
this  happy  island  claimed  descent. 

''My  advent  was  greeted  with  a  flourish  of 
trumpets  as  though  I  were  some  sort  of  ambassa- 
dor, such  an  effect  had  my  robes  and  jewels  and 
letter  produced,  and,  without  delay,  I  was  con- 
ducted by  servants  of  the  palace  into  the  presence 
of  the  Council. 

"The  morning  was  already  far  advanced,  the 
heat  increasing,  but  the  apartment  in  which  I 
found  myself  (which  was  ablaze  with  the  most 
costly  tiles  and  hangings  of  the  Indies)  was  very 
cool;  and  again  the  pleasant  sound  of  water 
plashing  from  a  scented  fountain  refreshed  the 
air. 

"Before  the  throne  stood,  in  respectful  order, 
the  twelve  councillors  of  the  King;  and  He  him- 
self, upon  a  marble  throne,  exquisite  in  workman- 
ship and  venerable  with  age,  sat:  a  young  man 
of  a  dreamy,  melancholy,  but  pleasing  counten- 
ance, who  bowed  his  head  very  slightly  at  my 
approach,  smiled  gently  as  he  did  so  and  welcomed 
me.  Such  was  the  King.  I  in  my  turn  cast  myself 
down  before  him  with  a  full  obeisance  until  he 
bade  me  rise. 

"Our  business  was  not  long  in  concluding.  The 
Grand  Vizier,  who  stepped  up  and  stood  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  throne,  put  me  certain  ques- 
tions— Whether   I   had   my   treasure   with   me? 

94 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

Whether  I  could  produce  it  by  such  a  date  ?  And 
so  forth.  I  satisfied  him  by  signalling  to  my  at- 
tendants with  their  burdens.  The  packages  were 
opened  before  the  eyes  of  the  Council  and  at  that 
sitting  all  was  arranged.  For  the  terms  which  I 
proposed  were  discovered  suitable  enough.  I  have 
told  you,  my  dear  nephews  (and  I  do  confess  it 
again  to  my  shame),  that  desire  for  ease  had  now 
taken  place  in  my  mind,  whereas  further  gain 
should  have  occupied  it.  I  very  modestly  asked 
for  no  more  than  five  dinars  yearly  on  the  hun- 
dred, I  told  the  Council  and  his  Majesty  that  for 
the  million  dinars  which  could  here  be  counted  I 
should  ask  annually  but  fifty  thousand  for  revenue, 
and  that  paid  on  such  dates  as  they  thought  fit. 

''All  nodded  gravely;  the  King  gently  compli- 
mented me  upon  my  public  spirit,  for  now  (as  he 
was  good  enough  to  say)  he  regarded  me  as  a 
subject. 

'*He  looked  round  among  his  councillors  as 
though  seeking  a  suggestion,  when  one  of  them, 
Tarib  by  name  (whom  I  distinguished  by  his  fine 
intelligent  face  and  felt  drawn  towards  already), 
said  in  a  firm  voice, '  The  Salt  Tax, '  and  all,  includ- 
ing the  King  himself,  murmured  approval. 

''Then  did  I  learn  that  for  many  generations 
past  the  people  of  this  wealthy  and  fortunate 
realm  had  paid  to  the  State  a  fixed  tax  upon  salt, 
which  amounted  yearly,  upon  the  average,  to  the 
sum  I  had  demanded.  It  was  regularly  received ; 
for  all  the  salt  of  this  land  came  over  sea  and  the 
toll  was  levied  at  the  ports  of  entry.  A  Charter 
was  drawn  up  by  the  Council  in  simple  terms.  It 
was  agreed  by  my  own  wish  that  my  name  should 

95 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

not  be  published  to  the  people,  lest,  perhaps,  the 
odium  of  receiving  tribute  should  attach  to  one  so 
recently  come  among  them.  But  the  King  assured 
me,  as  he  signed,  that  not  odium,  but  gratitude, 
was  my  due :  he  for  his  part  would  never  cease  to 
believe  that  I  had  been  moved  to  make  so  gen- 
erous an  offer  by  some  particular  affection  for 
himself  and  his  people. 

"Rooms  within  the  palace  were  set  at  my  dis- 
posal until  I  should  have  time  to  choose  some 
house  in  the  city,  and  through  the  importance  of 
my  connexion  with  the  State  I  was  sworn  of  the 
Council  with  the  rest. 

"As  I  read  my  Charter  through  all  alone  in 
the  privacy  of  my  room  I  noted  with  pleasure  the 
short  and  simple  phrasing  of  this  great  commer- 
cial people : 

'^  ^ To  Mahmoud,  his  assignees  and  heirs  for 

ever  and  ever,  so  long  as  the  State  shall  last, 

and  the  Salt  Tax  he  gathered' 
ran  the  what  is  called  among  the  mighty  'The 
Operative  Clause :  the  Words  of  Power. '  I  had 
them  by  heart  in  a  moment.  I  could  not  forbear 
to  write  them  down  in  my  own  hand  more  than 
once,  for  the  pleasure  it  gave  me. 

' '  Here  then  was  my  every  wish  fulfilled !  Here 
was  the  best  of  company,  the  most  dignified  of 
position,  the  most  charming  of  climates,  surround- 
ings of  wealth,  luxury  and  ease ;  the  culture  of  a 
thousand  years ;  all  that  our  religion  permits  in 
art  and  entertainment.  Books  of  every  language 
and  climate.  Stores  of  good  from  every  sky  under 
heaven,  from  every  people  and  of  every  age. 
Here,  indeed,  might  I  live  my  life  without  further 

96 


MILE,  OE  SALT 

adventnre  or  negotiation.  What  pleased  me  most 
was  to  think  that  I  would  be  able  to  escape  some 
little  strains  I  might  have  to  put  upon  my 
honour — though  not  I  am  glad  to  say  upon  my 
conscience — in  the  rude  struggle  of  the  outer 
world.  No  one  here  knew  my  humble  beginnings, 
or  in  too  much  detail  the  particular  abilities 
whereby  I  had  so  rapidly  enriched  myself. 

"I  was  now  one  of  the  great  lords,  and  very 
soon  the  foundation  of  my  fortune  would  be  lost  in 
the  mists  of  time.  Men  would  easily  come  to 
believe  that  my  fathers  had  acquired  it,  sword  in 
hand,  when  first  the  banner  of  the  Prophet  was 
seen  upon  those  hills  three  hundred  years  before. 

'^I  will  not  detain  you  with  the  happy  disposi- 
tion of  my  time,  nor  with  more  than  the  statement 
of  my  supreme  enjoyment.  Scrolls  from  every 
land  I  accumulated  in  my  library,  I  had  about  me 
the  most  costly  stuffs  and  upon  my  person  and 
upon  those  of  my  attendants  the  rarest  gems.  My 
chief  delight  was  to  gather  at  my  table  a  small, 
but  various,  band  of  intimates ;  chief  of  whom  was 
that  earnest,  intelligent  young  man  of  the  Council 
whom  I  noted  on  my  first  arrival.  Tarib,  as  I 
have  told  you,  was  his  simple  name;  and  I 
learned  how  his  father  had  been  no  more  than  a 
respected  merchant  in  offal.  Dying,  he  had  left 
his  son  a  sufficient  income,  and  that  son  had  so 
added  to  it  by  occasions  of  public  service  that  he 
had  now  risen  to  one  of  the  highest  offices  of  State. 
It  was  his  special  function  in  the  Council  to  repre- 
sent and  to  retail  to  the  King  whatever  popular 
movement  was  abroad,  for  he  was  known  to  every 
class   in   the    city.      He   was    the    intermediary 

97 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

between  King  and  people,  was  regarded  in  some 
way  as  a  Tribune;  or,  as  his  title  went,  'The 
Doubler, '  which  term,  already  centuries  old,  some 
derived  from  his  double  function,  others  from  the 
attitude  which  etiquette  demanded  him  to  assume 
to  Monarch  and  subjects  ahke.  Others  again  put 
it  down  to  the  emoluments  of  his  post. 

"Through  him  I  learned  to  understand  this 
kindly,  industrious  and  most  loyal  people.  In 
my  walks  with  him,  and  by  my  regular  attendance 
at  his  public  addresses,  I  grew  intimate  with  that 
character  in  the  people  of  Izmat  which  had  led  to 
their  great  reputation  throughout  the  world. 

''It  was  their  pride  that  they  never  shook  the 
State  by  violent  change,  but  with  gradual  and  well- 
weighed  reforms  adapted  themselves  generation 
by  generation  to  the  movement  of  the  world.  They 
thought  disdainfully  of  nationalities  controlled  by 
less  powerful  traditions ;  for  a  man  of  great  for- 
tune like  myself,  it  was  therefore  an  ever-pleasing 
thought — the  foundation  I  might  say  of  my  happi- 
ness— to  consider  the  peace  and  solidity  all  about 
me.  That  portion  of  the  populace  (about  one 
half)  which  lay  upon  the  verge  of  starvation  were 
manfully  content  with  their  lot,  or,  if  they  showed 
some  beginning  of  complaint,  were  at  once  ap- 
peased when  they  had  pointed  out  to  them  their 
superiority  over  the  miserable  foreigners  of  the 
Mainland ;  while  those  who  (like  myself)  were  pos- 
sessed of  vast  revenues  and  lived  in  great  palaces 
were  far  too  devoted  to  the  Commonwealth  to 
dream  of  grumbUng  at  their  lot.  They  would, 
upon  the  contrary,  frequently  express  their  devo- 
tion to  State  and  King,  and  prove  it  by  doing  for 

98 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

the  common  weal,  unpaid,  as  much  as  three  hours ' 
work  in  a  day;  or  even  four  when  there  was  a 
press  of  business. 

''Thus,  one  would  maintain  the  magnificent 
breed  of  horses  by  his  devotion  to  the  chase ;  an- 
other would  support  the  industry  of  the  goldsmith 
by  his  frequent  purchase  of  ornaments ;  another 
would,  as  a  local  magistrate,  condemn  the  poorest 
of  his  district  to  various  terms  of  imprisonment ; 
another,  though  in  no  way  bound  to  do  so,  would 
write  a  book — the  description,  perhaps,  of  his 
tastes  in  food,  or  a  recollection  of  those  men  and 
women  of  the  wealthier  sort  whom  he  had  met  in 
the  course  of  his  useful  life.  Yet  another  would 
contribute  to  the  health  of  the  State  by  the  con- 
tinual practice  of  commerce,  to  which  these  people 
were  very  much  devoted.  There  was  hardly  one 
of  this  rich  class  in  which  I  now  mixed,  but  had 
his  chosen  work  thoroughly  accomplished.  The 
content  of  the  poor,  the  public  spirit  of  the  rich, 
welded  the  whole  of  that  society  into  a  sort  of 
paradise ;  but  most  noble  of  all  and  most  worthy 
of  this  people  was  this  young  Tribune  Tarib. 

"He  it  was  who  talked  most  incessantly  and 
before  the  largest  gatherings,  thus  creating  a  taste 
for  public  discussion.  He  it  was  who  discussed 
practical  remedies  whenever  discontent  appeared, 
and  he  who  worked  out  every  detail  in  the  inter- 
esting reports  upon  the  condition  of  the  starving. 
To  the  thousands  whom  he  addressed  his  manner 
never  grew  stale.  His  eloquence  was  sober,  his 
speeches  with  praise  of  Izmat  and  quotations  from 
the  Sacred  Books,  as  also  with  known  jests — 
things  which  this  practical  people  infinitely  pre- 

99 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

ferred  to  empty  theories  of  the  Mainland.  So  all 
went  well;  and  I  (blind  to  the  future,  alas !)  went 
down  that  path  of  statesmanship  along  which  my 
friend  led  me,  little  knowing  whither  it  would  lead 
me. 

'  'I  did  not  often  speak  myself  at  the  public  meet- 
ings so  frequently  held  (they  were  indeed  the 
noble  pastime  of  this  patriot  folk),  lest  my  foreign 
accent  should  hurt  my  dignity.  For  I  had  not  yet 
a  complete  command  of  the  language,  though  it 
was  now  two  years  since  I  had  become  a  citizen 
and  subject  of  the  Monarch  to  whom  we  were  all 
so  devoted.  But  I  would  sit  by  the  side  of  my 
friend  Tarib  and  others  as  they  harangued  the 
populace  in  the  open  places  of  the  city  or,  upon 
occasions,  in  the  mosques.  On  such  occasions  I 
would  show  by  my  smiles  and  applause  my  ap- 
proval of  all  that  was  said  for  the  betterment  of 
the  poor  or  the  rich,  as  the  case  might  be,  and  I 
always  laughed  at  the  ritual  jests,  sometimes  even 
before  they  were  delivered.  In  this  way  I  grew 
familiar  with  most  of  those  in  the  capital  and  with 
many  of  the  provincial  towns,  and  hoped  to  con- 
quer general  favour. 

**I  was  present  when  Ibn  Rashn  delivered  his 
great  harangue  to  a  vast  assembly,  denouncing 
the  foreign  practice  of  marrying  a  fifth  wife — 
which  abomination  there  was  some  danger  of  see- 
ing introduced  into  his  beloved  land.  I  was  pres- 
ent also  when  the  same  great  and  eloquent  man 
gave  his  second  great  harangue,  insisting  upon  the 
necessity  of  fifth  wives  and  carrying  that  reform 
by  acclamation  as  a  law.  Seated  with  others  on 
the  raised  platform  which  surrounded  the  orator 

100 


MILE,  OK  SALT 

I  applauded  the  Grand  Vizier  in  his  solemn  declar- 
ation against  shaving,  a  thing  (said  he)  abhorrent 
to  every  true  believer,  and  heard  the  sway  of  argu- 
ment for  and  against  the  custom;  which  (I  am 
glad  to  say)  was  afterwards  put  down  with  the 
utmost  severity  of  the  law.  But  my  happiest 
memories  are  still  of  those  numerous  days  when 
my  intimate  the  Tribune  Tarib — who  could  never 
be  accused  of  any  petty  thing — poured  forth  his 
soul  upon  the  poverty  of  the  commons  and  ex- 
tolled to  them  the  national  pride  and  glory  of 
doing  nothing  to  change  it :  in  which  principles  he 
was  applauded  with  frenzy.  This  spirit  was 
pecuhar  to  this  happy  land  and  no  one  expressed 
it  in  wiser  or  more  memorable  terms  than  he  who 
was  now  my  bosom  friend. 

''But  there  came  a  time — I  had  been  in  Izmat 
about  three  years — when  it  was  clearly  necessary 
to  strike  a  new  note. 

''There  was  at  the  moment  of  which  I  speak 
some  little  commotion  in  the  city  on  account  of  a 
dearth  of  rice,  the  diet  of  the  poorer  classes,  or 
at  least  the  diet  of  the  poorer  classes  when  they 
could  obtain  it;  for  there  was  a  custom  deeply 
rooted  in  this  conservative  people  that  when  the 
poorer  classes  could  not  obtain  rice,  they  should 
do  without  it. 

"At  this  juncture  the  difficulty  had  risen  to  the 
middle  classes,  and  these  joined  with  the  popu- 
lace. Ill  ease  grew  general.  A  complaint  of 
stringency  was  abroad,  from  the  ranks  of  those 
who  starved  to  death  up  to  the  merchants  and 
the  lords  themselves.    Even  the  moderately  rich 

101 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

could  no  longer  afford  the  services  of  more  than 
a  dozen  dancing  girls. 

''The  whole  Island  was  in  a  ferment  and  the 
capital  was  so  disturbed  that  one  might  have 
thought  oneself  at  times  among  the  degraded 
tribes  of  the  Mainland. 

''Processions  had  appeared  in  the  streets,  some- 
times actually  accompanied  by  musical  instru- 
ments of  a  loud  and  distressing  order.  Banners 
had  been  carried,  and  upon  one  occasion  the  litter 
of  no  less  a  person  than  the  Lord  Executioner  had 
been  detained  for  half  an  hour  in  a  block  caused 
by  the  multitudes  proceeding  to  hear  a  favourite 
orator.  The  Council  had  taken  note  of  these 
things  and  my  friend  the  Tribune  Tarib,  the  Lord 
Doubler,  was  naturally  deputed  to  deal  with  them 
in  his  own  inimitable  way. 

"He  went  on  foot  to  the  vast  meeting  that  had 
been  convened  in  the  Mosque  of  Nasr-ed-din  the 
founder  of  the  Dynasty.  We  also  went  with  him 
thus  humbly,  the  better  to  please  the  public  eye. 
With  some  dozen  others  of  my  rank  I  sat  upon  a 
rug  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the  orator  and  lis- 
tened entranced  to  his  impassioned  words. 

"Never  had  I  heard  him  more  inspired !  It  was 
a  great  volume  of  sound,  the  words  in  which 
followed  each  other  in  quick  succession,  often 
meaningless  but  never  pedantic,  and  throughout 
the  speech  he  was  careful  to  interpolate  short 
passages  which  the  meanest  intellect  could 
clearly  follow  and  which  exactly  corresponded  to 
the  desires  of  his  hearers.  'Why  should  you 
starve?'  cried  he,  'while  all  around  you  is  wealth? 
Which  the  wealthy  will  be  the  first  to  forego.' 

102 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

Murmurs  of  applause  burst  from  the  lips  of  the 
Treasurer  and  the  Grand  Vizier,  while  I  myself — 
I  am  not  ashamed  to  say — cried  aloud  in  my  en- 
thusiasm for  the  sentiment.  'Why,'  said  he,  'do 
you  lack  your  poor  pittance  of  rice  while  the 
bloated  rich' — and  he  looked  round  at  the  galleries 
as  though  to  find  them  there — 'have  their  fill  of 
the  tenderest  lamb  stuffed  with  pistachio  nuts? 
And  who  shall  blame  them?'  Again  there  rose  a 
wave  of  applause  in  which  I  joined  more  heartily 
than  ever,  for  the  words  reminded  me  of  that 
delicious  viand,  which  I  had,  but  an  hour  before, 
very  plentifully  consumed.  'Why,' — he  shouted 
in  louder  tones — ^Why  do  you  permit  yourselves 
to  be  loaded  with  an  intolerable  burden  of  taxa- 
tion? Which  our  wealthier  classes  bear  also  in 
an  immoderate  degree?' 

"At  this  phrase  the  exultation  of  the  Lord  Chief 
Treasurer  knew  no  bounds,  and  he  led  the  stream 
of  cheering  which  it  so  richly  deserved.  'How 
long  are  we  to  wait  for  that  reform  which  our 
fathers — especially  among  the  gentry — demanded 
and  so  nearly  obtained?'  He  looked  round  upon 
them  for  a  moment  in  a  dramatic  pause,  and  then 
said  in  solemn  tones,  'A  tax  upon  the  worthless 
rich,  and  more  especially'  (yet  louder)  'upon  the 
alien  rich  and  more  especially  still'  (his  voice  now 
booming  like  a  hammering  of  drums)  'upon  the 
alien  rich  who  stand  idle  fattening  upon  the  rev- 
enues of  the  State,  this  I  say  .  .  .  '  But  the 
delirium  of  acquiescence  aroused  by  this  noble 
sentiment  cut  off  the  rest  of  his  phrase  and 
drowned  his  voice  for  the  space  in  which  a  man 
might  recite  the  prayer  for  the  Caliph. 

103 


THE  MERCY  OF  AT^LAH 

**Used  as  I  was  to  this  style  of  public  eloquence 
and  the  expression  of  opinions  universal  to  this 
happy  people  (bound  up,  as  I  thought,  with  the 
very  atmosphere  of  their  race)  I  naturally  ex- 
pected that  when  the  dying  down  of  the  applause 
should  have  allowed  him  to  be  heard  we  should 
have  that  second  part  of  which  his  speeches  had 
always  consisted — an  appeal  to  the  conservative 
instincts  of  our  race,  to  their  noble  patience  and 
to  their  dogged  tenacity  in  doing  nothing  which 
had  made  them  the  envy  of  their  less-gifted 
neighbours. 

''Bitterly  was  I  undeceived! 

''For  what  were  his  very  next  words?  I  could 
hardly  believe  my  ears  as  those  words  fell  upon 
me.  'Why,'  said  he  in  grave  and  tragic  tones, 
slowly  separating  them  syllable  by  syllable,  'why 
do  you  thus  remain  ground  down  by  such  an 
iniquity  as  the  tax  upon  Salt  ? ' 

"My  heart  stood  still.  I  ventured  discreetly  to 
touch  his  foot  with  that  one  of  my  own  which  was 
nearest.  He  replied  by  treading  heavily  upon  my 
toe,  which  I  interpreted  as  a  signal  of  secret 
friendship.  But  I  was  terribly  concerned  to  note 
that  the  native  Lords  around,  squatted  upon  the 
same  platform  as  myself,  wagged  their  heads  in 
unison  when  this  monstrous  suggestion  was  made, 
and  by  their  murmurs  of  agreement  interrupted 
the  awful  silence  which  followed. 

"That  silence  did  not  last  for  long.  Once  more, 
but  with  stronger  decision,  with  larger  hope,  there 
arose  from  the  vast  assembly  the  same  tumult  of 
applause.  Every  man  rose  to  his  feet.  Someone 
began  to  sing,  then  all  sang  in  unison  their  famous 

104 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

hymn,  which  asks  in  stirring  words  and  air 
whether  one  Hussein  shall  die  and  asserts  with 
the  utmost  vehemence  that  if  this  most  unfor- 
tunate event  should  come  to  pass  no  less  than 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants  of  the  peninsula 
province  of  Bar-el-sul  would  demand  a  full  ex- 
planation of  the  occurrence.  The  words  might 
not  seem  apposite  to  a  stranger,  but  in  the  digni- 
fied and  strongly  national  atmosphere  of  Izmat 
their  purport  is  well  understood.  They  can  be 
suited  to  almost  any  occasion  of  popular  passion, 
and  at  this  moment  most  undoubtedly  might  be 
interpreted  to  mean  'To  Eblis  with  the  Salt  Tax.* 

*'I  was  by  this  time  frozen  to  my  marrow.  I 
was  bewildered.  I  could  hardly  doubt  the  friend- 
ship between  Tarib  and  myself.  I  had  shown  him 
so  many  favours.  Even  now,  as  I  looked  at  him, 
I  found  him  very  sympathetic — and  so  famihar! 
I  could  not  doubt  the  force  of  familiar  converse, 
I  could  not  doubt  my  hosts  and  colleagues,  the 
Councillors,  who  had  for  now  three  years  sat  with 
me  round  His  Majesty  in  Divan  and  worked  with 
me  as  one  of  the  Chief  Ministers  there. 

' '  The  next  words  slightly,  but  only  slightly,  re- 
assured me.  They  were  more  after  the  style  I 
knew  so  well,  when,  in  the  past,  the  national  glory 
in  doing  nothing  had  been  expressed  with  peculiar 
skill.  The  Lord  Doubler  assumed  a  piteous  ex- 
pression and  his  mouth,  the  shape  of  which  might 
now  be  compared  to  that  of  a  horse-shoe,  opened. 
'Let  me  not  stir  you  up,  my  friends,'  said  he,  'to 
a  violent  anger.  We  can  leave  froth  and  vindictive 
folly  to  the  pitiful  peoples  of  the  mainland.  We 
in  Izmat,  thanks  be  to  Allah,  will  never  lose  our 

105 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

dignity  in  mere  brawling.  Let  us  confine  our- 
selves to  constitutional  means,  the  only  ones 
whereby  anything  practical  can  be  accomplished,  * 
Applause  also  met  these  sentiments,  more  sub- 
dued, indeed,  than  that  which  we  had  first  heard, 
but  sincere.  *My  friends  around  me,'  and  he 
smiled  on  all  the  Councillors,  including  myself, 
'will  deliberate,  as  we  always  do,  for  the  public 
good,  and  you  will  find  that  our  recommendations 
thus  laid  iDefore  His  Majesty,  with  the  ensuing 
Proclamation,  will  be  the  beginning  of  better 
things.  We  cannot  say  that  all  this  evil  shall  be 
redressed  at  once.  We  are  a  practical  people,  as 
I  think  I  have  remarked  before.  You  have  indeed 
cried  to  me  for  redress;  but  we  are,  I  say  it 
again,  a  practical  people.  We  do  not  attempt  the 
impossible  or  tear  up  the  ancient  framework  of 
our  State.  Step  by  step  is  our  motto.  One  thing 
at  a  time.  The  advance  of  His  Majesty's  sub- 
jects in  freedom  and  happiness  has  increased  in 
breadth  by  imperceptible  degrees  from  one  deci- 
sion in  the  past  to  another,  as  our  great  poet  has 
so  admirably  put  it ;  and  again,  not  once  or  twice 
in  the  far  from  smooth  sequence  of  our  insular 
activities  has  the  mere  fulfilment  of  our  daily 
tasks  proved  an  approach  to  distinction.'  These 
verses  (which  in  the  original  form  noble  lines  of 
poetry)  made  a  fitting  conclusion  to  one  of  those 
great  speeches  which  from  time  to  time  determined 
the  fate  of  Izmat. 

*'We  all  rose;  the  audience  and  the  Councillors 
and  the  orator  himself  united  in  chanting  that  por- 
tion of  the  Koran  which  details  Mahomet's  visit 
to  the  moon  (a  religious  exercise  dear  to  this  folk). 

106 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

We  then  sang  an  invocation  to  Allah  that  he  might 
protect  His  Majesty  the  King  and  throw  any  hypo- 
thetical enemies  of  that  monarch  into  the  utmost 
confusion.  Then  we  filed  out  of  the  Mosque  in 
our  thousands  to  the  coolness  of  the  declining  day. 
That  great,  that  historic,  that  fatal  meeting  had 
occupied  four  hours ! 

*  *  The  Council  was  immediately  summoned,  and 
their  first  action,  after  their  obeisance  to  the  King 
upon  his  throne,  was  to  assure  me,  individual  by 
individual,  that  no  idea  of  any  attack  upon  me  had 
been  for  one  moment  intended. 

*'  'It  is,  my  dear  Mahmoud,^  said  the  Grand 
Vizier,  placing  his  hand  familiarly  upon  mine  as 
it  lay  listless  upon  my  knee,  *it  is  the  principle  of 
the  matter  which  we  must  consider.  That  is  it. ' 
He  pressed  my  hand  on  the  other  side.  'For 
yourself,  Mahmoud,  as  you  know,  we  have  a 
respect  which  exceeds  all  bounds,  but  we  must 
move  with  the  times.  Things  are  not  what  they 
were.  Evolution  is  better  than  revolution.  If  we 
do  not  reform  ourselves,  things  will  reform  us. 
Mend  it  or  end  it.  What  did  the  Sultan  Omar  say 
in  the  thirty-seventh  year  of  the  Flight  of  the 
Prophet?' 

**  These  commonplaces  fell  mournfully  upon  my 
ears.  I  made  no  attempt  to  reply.  His  Majesty 
was  pleased  to  say  a  few  sympathetic  words.  The 
Tribune  Tarib,  who  evidently  felt  embarrassed  by 
my  position  and  by  his  memories  of  our  past 
friendship,  most  earnestly  protested  that  his 
whole  object  had  been  to  stem  the  growing  dan- 
gerous demand — nay,  he  would  go  so  far  as  to  say 
perilous  demand ;  nay  more,  a  minatory  demand ; 

107 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

yea,  a  threatening  demand.  Had  he  not  stemmed 
the  demand  as  he  had  it  would  have  had  tremen- 
dous consequences  in  the  way  of  demand.  The 
great  lord  whose  special  function  on  the  Council 
was  solemnity  and  who  was  known  by  the  title  of 
His  Impressiveness,  opened  his  mouth  in  the  midst 
of  his  prodigious  beard  to  say  that  he  thoroughly 
agreed  with  these  sentiments. 

**For  my  part  I  said  nothing,  but  sat  mourn- 
fully, seeing  no  issue  and  attending  the  pleasure 
of  those  who  could  do  what  they  would  with  me 
and  mine.  I  heard  their  debate :  I  was  asked  to 
sign  their  conclusions.  I  did  so  with  a  reluctant, 
unwilhng  hand;  and  as  I  signed  my  name  in  its 
place  and  affixed  my  seal  I  glanced  at  the  wording 
of  the  Proclamation  and  felt  some  relief  to  dis- 
cover that  the  Salt  Tax  was  not  abolished,  but  only 
halved,  while  the  loss  so  occasioned  was  to  be  made 
good  by  a  tax  upon  revenue  of  one  dinar  in  each 
hundred — a  very  moderate  amount. 

^* After  this  dreadful  session  (the  date  will  re- 
main engraved  upon  my  soul  to  my  dying  day ! — ^it 
was  the  anniversary  of  the  day  upon  which  my 
grandfather,  your  great  grandfather,  dear  boys, 
had  been  hanged)  I  paced  up  and  down  in  my 
courtyard  alone,  no  longer  soothed  by  the  cease- 
less whisper  of  my  beloved  fountains,  in  no  mood 
for  taking  down  any  one  of  my  famous  scrolls,  nor 
even  for  toying  with  the  numerous  Circassians 
whom  I  had  imported  at  vast  expense  during  the 
preceding  months.  My  bosom  and  my  brow  were 
contracted  and  I  was  weary  of  life. 

''But  after  some  hours  of  these  mournful  reflec- 
tions some  considerations  of  hope  occurred  to  me. 

108 


MILE,  OR  SALT 

*  After  all,'  said  I  to  myself,  'there  must  be  nps 
and  downs.  Many  a  man  has  lost  a  fortune  and 
recovered  it.  My  income  is  halved,  but  what 
remains  is  still  ample.'  I  could  yet  call  myself 
an  extremely  wealthy  man — among  the  wealthiest 
in  the  State.  The  small  tax  put  upon  my  revenue 
I  could  not  grudge,  since  it  fell  also  upon  the  rev- 
enues of  others. 

*'But  I  was  to  learn  what  bitter  truth  there  lay 
behind  the  oft-repeated  boast  of  these  people  that 
they  proceeded  step  by  step,  slowly,  one  thing  at  a 
time,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  Not  a  month  had  passed  but  a 
modification  was  issued  to  the  first  regulation  and 
it  was  ordained,  in  view  of  certain  rumours  which 
had  been  heard  in  the  market-place,  that  the  tax 
on  revenue  should  be  of  a  more  complicated  kind. 
It  was  to  begin,  indeed,  at  one  dinar  in  the  hun- 
dred, but  since  it  was  harsh  to  apply  even  this 
small  burden  to  the  poorer  citizens,  only  those 
receiving  at  least  one  thousand  dinars  should  pay, 
and  the  proportion  was  to  rise  rapidly  with  the 
larger  fortunes  until,  for  such  a  man  as  myself, 
the  proportion  reached  one  quarter  of  the  total! 
But  worse  was  to  come. 

"Yielding  to  the  vigorous  popular  clamour,  the 
tax  was  doubled  for  those  of  alien  birth.  For 
those  whose  income  was  derived  in  any  way  from 
the  revenues  of  State  the  tax  was  doubled  again. 
Exception  was  made  for  the  Councillors,  for  (so 
ran  the  Proclamation)  their  salaries  are  paid  by 
his  Majesty,  and  a  diminution  of  them  would  but 
take  money  with  one  hand  to  give  it  back  to  the 
other.  I  hoped  for  one  wild  moment  that  I  should 
come  within  so  clear  a  category.    But  no!    In  a 

109 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

further  clause  it  was  specially  indicated  that  this 
should  apply  only  to  salaries  actually  paid  by  the 
Treasury  and  not  to  annuities  guaranteed  by,  or 
derived  from,  the  public  revenue  directly — and  my 
payment  alone  was  of  this  kind  in  all  the  Council ! 

''Still  more  was  to  follow.  An  infamous  new 
regulation  appeared  whereby  a  man  should  pay, 
not  upon  that  which  he  actually  received,  but 
upon  that  which  he  had  received  in  the  course  of 
three  years — a  space  of  time  exactly  correspond- 
ing to  my  presence  in  the  island  and  attaching  to 
my  vast  income  of  the  past.  It  was  clear  that  I 
was  ruined.  I  made  a  brief  calculation  on  the 
night  after  the  last  of  these  official  Acts  had  been 
published.  After  taking  this  survey  of  my  re- 
maining wealth  (I  had  already  sold  the  most  part 
of  my  movables,  and  had  removed  from  my  great 
palace  to  a  humble  lodging)  I  discovered  that  I 
had  left  in  my  hands,  all  told,  less  than  one  thou- 
sand dinars. 

*'I  knew  not  how  to  look  upon  the  world.  My 
whole  being  seemed  to  have  departed.  I  watched 
the  day  fading,  and  with  it  faded  my  spirit.  I  re- 
turned to  my  poor  room  and,  very  late,  lost,  or 
half -lost,  my  miseries  in  an  imperfect  slumber." 

The  old  man  concluded  and  bowed  his  head  in 
a  solemn  silence.  His  young  nephews  appreciat- 
ing how  sacred  a  thing  is  death,  especially  the 
death  of  Money,  glided  on  tiptoe  out  of  the  room 
and  vanished. 


:,K<^^ 


AL-WUKALA 

That  is: 
The  Lawyebs 


CHAPTER  VI 

ENTITLED  AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

WHEN  the  nephews  next  entered  their  uncle 's 
presence  at  the  Hour  of  Public  Executions, 
it  was  in  a  subdued  manner,  as  to  a  funeral,  for 
their  thoughts  were  full  of  that  Great  Loss,  the 
story  of  which  was  in  progress.  They  sat  upon 
the  floor  before  him  in  due  order,  and  Mahmoud 
began : 

"Upon  the  dawn  that  followed  that  hopeless 
night,  my  hopes  were  again  raised,  only  for  my 
further  bitterness  and  disappointment.  I  had 
risen  before  day  and  gone  out  of  doors.  A  chance 
acquaintance  ran  across  me  as  I  paced  aimlessly 
in  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city,  watching  the 
shadows  shortening  under  the  rising  sun,  listening 
to  the  clear  voices  of  the  water-sellers  and  to  the 
cries  of  the  mariners  at  their  calling. 

' '  This  acquaintance  was  one  learned  in  the  law. 
Not  that  he  was  himself  a  scrivener,  or  pleader, 
still  less  a  judge — on  the  contrary,  he  was  born 
wealthy,  and  those  so  circumstanced  are  (in 
Izmat)  very  much  averse  to  the  tedium  of  a  pro- 
fession. But  in  youth  he  had  been  compelled  by 
his  grandfather  to  read  whole  libraries  of  books 
upon  the  legal  system  of  his  beloved  country,  and 
had  further  been  compelled  to  pay  considerable 
sums  to  one  of  the  most  renowned  pleader^  of  the 
day  in  whose  office  he  had  passed  three  miserable 
years.    Seeing  he  was  so  educated,  and  knowing 

113 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

well  my  misfortunes,  lie  kindly  took  me  by  the  arm 
(I  could  not  help  suspecting  a  certain  patronage) 
and  said; 

'^  'Alas,  my  poor  Mahmoud!  How  we  do  all 
feel  for  you!  And  how  we  respect  the  way  in 
which  you  have  borne  inevitable  misfortune !  But 
though  I  praise  you  as  much  as  any  other  for  your 
conduct  and  resignation,  do  you  not  push  it  a 
little  too  far?  We,  the  free  inhabitants  of  this 
our  beloved  Izmat,  have  a  most  glorious  privilege, 
which  is,  that  not  the  King  himself  (the  glory  of 
Allah  be  upon  him)  has  any  privilege  as  against 
the  humblest  of  his  subjects,  when  it  comes  to  the 
issue  of  law.  Our  judges,  as  you  know,  stand 
above  all  mortal  frailty  and  are,  as  we  devoutly 
and  firmly  believe,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  God 
Himself.  Though  His  Majesty  and  his  Ministers 
be  your  opponents  in  a  case,  that  case  will  be  de- 
cided with  serene  indifference  to  the  position  or 
wealth  or  power  of  the  parties.  You  believe  this, 
do  you  not?'  he  insisted  earnestly,  for  doubts 
upon  so  final  a  doctrine  of  religion  are  horrible 
to  the  imperial  race  of  Izmat. 

*'  'Yes,  I  believe  it,'  said  I  with  a  sigh,  though  I 
confess  that  my  short  acquaintance  with  misfor- 
tune had  shaken  me  in  many  points  of  loyalty  to 
my  new  country. 

"  'AVhy,  then,'  said  he,  'do  you  not  come  into 
Court  with  your  plaint?  Our  lawyers  have  the 
skill  to  discover  a  claim  in  anything,  and  you  may 
be  sure  that  all  that  can  be  said  in  your  favour 
would  be  allowed  in  the  freest  manner,  and  if 
there  is  a  single  loophole,  the  whole  or  part  of 
your  former  fortunes  may  be  restored  at  whatever 

114 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

cost.  For  it  is  a  maxim  peculiar  to  our  island  law 
that  if  a  case  is  decided  in  favour  of  the  plaintiff, 
then  the  plaintiff  has  the  decision  in  his  favour. ' 

*'I  confess  that  my  acquaintance  with  the  man- 
ners and  habits  of  the  foreign  people  among  whom 
I  had  had  the  wretched  luck  to  be  born  had  made 
me  think  it  futile  indeed  to  approach  the  august 
judges  in  a  matter  where  a  king  was  concerned;  or 
to  ask  relief  from  State  officials  for  what  the  State 
had  done  to  me.  He  stoutly  denied  the  idea  I  had 
that  the  judges  were  State  officials.  Said  he: 
'Have  you  never  read  the  famous  oath  which 
every  judge  makes  on  taking  office?  Do  you  not 
know  how  we  elect  him  ?  * 

*'  'Yes/  said  I,  in  tones  which  betrayed  no  en- 
thusiasm, 'I  know  indeed  how  the  judges  are 
appointed  and  the  oath  they  take.  They  are 
appointed — (how  often  have  I  not  seen  the  Firman 
signed  in  Council!  How  often  have  I  not  affixed 
my  own  poor  name  to  it!) — they  are  appointed, 
as  the  rule  goes,  ''by  his  Sacred  Majesty,  that  is, 
by  the  familiars,  the  wives,  and  the  secretaries  of 
the  Richest  Men,  indifferently.'*  Such  are  the 
very  words  of  the  Statute. ' 

*'  'You  answer  rightly,'  said  my  friend,  with  a 
noble  carriage  of  his  head.  'Surely  so  impartial 
a  source  of  office  must  make  you  feel  secure !  On 
the  odious  Mainland  the  king  appoints  his  own 
judges:  it  is  a  tyranny  to  which  we  in  Izmat 
have  long  refused  to  submit.  Our  Monarch  is  the 
ruler  of  free  men !  He  would  disdain  to  influence 
an  appointment.  He  leaves  that  to  his  gentry, 
and  they,  in  turn,  leave  it  to  their  women  and 
other  dependents.    Thus  we  alone  of  all  nations 

115 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

secure  a  Bench  of  judges  wholly  independent! 
But  there  is  more :  Have  you  forgotten  the  oath 
they  take,  my  friend — the  oath  they  take  on  ap- 
pointment ? ' 

**  'No,'  said  I,  still  wearily.  *I  remember  it 
well  enough.  Indeed,  I  have  it  all  by  heart,  for  I 
have  read  it  a  hundred  times: — "I  swear  by  the 
Almighty  God  and  by  the  contents  of  this  booh  that 
I  will  not  depart  from  justice  in  anything,  either 
for  orders,  or  favours,  or  personal  advantage,  or 
any  consideration  whatsoever,  save  in  the  political 
interests  of  my  class  or  family,  of  the  Lawyers' 
Guild  to  which  I  belong,  or  for  such  other  consid- 
erations as  may  occur  to  me."  ' 

*  *  '  That  is  right ! '  said  my  friend  in  triumphant 
tones.    'Well,  can  you  want  a  better  guarantee?' 

"  'No,'  said  I,  'I  suppose  not.' 

"  'Well,  then,'  he  cried,  rising,  'let  me  take  you 
to  a  friend  of  mine  among  the  most  able  Scriveners 
of  the  city,  and  be  assured  that  whatever  can  be 
done  for  you  will  be  done. ' 

"  'I  have  no  great  part  of  my  fortune  left,' 
said  I  timidly,  rising  as  he  did,  but  unwilling  to 
follow  him. 

"  'Fear  nothing,'  he  returned  heartily.  'Jus- 
tice in  Izmat  is  not  bought  and  sold.  There  are, 
of  course,  certain  necessary  fees.  But  the  law 
compels  you  to  hire  no  pleader.  You  can  appear 
yourself  in  Court.  That  freedom  is  one  of  our 
great  privileges;  and,  believe  me,  you  will  be 
heard  as  patiently  and  directed  as  honestly  as 
though  you  were  one  of  the  greatest  pleaders 
in  the  city.' 

*'Half  persuaded  by  such  insistence,  I  followed 
116 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

my  friend  to  a  house  where,  seated  in  the  midst 
of  commentaries  upon  the  law,  of  metal  boxes  con- 
taining the  shameful  secrets  of  great  families  and 
the  record  of  their  indebtedness,  sat  an  elderly 
man,  whose  face  reminded  me,  I  know  not  why, 
of  a  vulture. 

''  *I  have  brought  you,  Kazib,'  said  he,  *a 
client.    You  will  recognize  him,  I  think.* 

*'  *I  do,  indeed,'  said  the  Scrivener,  rising 
gravely  and  bowing  to  me.  *  He  is  no  less  than  My 
Lord  the  Councillor  Mahmoud.' 

*'  'The  title  is  superfluous  now,'  said  I  a  little 
sadly. 

''The  Scrivener,  however,  continued  to  give  it 
to  me  in  his  great  courtesy,  and  when  my  friend 
had  left  us  together,  I  poured  out  my  story.  As 
the  more  important  details  fell  from  my  lips  my 
host  jotted  them  down  upon  a  small  tablet  with 
a  fine  quill  that  he  carried.  When  I  had  concluded 
he  spoke  as  follows: 

"  'Such  a  case  as  yours  would  appear  first  in 
the  Court  of  Sweetmeats.' 

'"Of  Sweetmeats?'  said  I. 

"  'It  is  an  old  term,'  said  he.  'We  love  these 
historic  traditions.' 

' '  '  Exactly, '  I  answered  humbly. 

"  'Well,  it  would  appear,  I  say,  in  the  Court  of 
Sweetmeats. ' 

"  'Yes,'  said  L 

"  'After  it  had  gone  to  the  Court  of  Sweet- 
meats, it  would  almost  certainly  be  transferred  to 
the  Court  of  Wrecks,  Lighthouses  and  Divorce, 
or  to  the  Department  of  Wills.' 

"  'Indeed?'  said  L 

117 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

**  *It  is  so,'  said  the  Scrivener.  'Whichever  of 
these  dealt  with  it,  an  appeal  would  lie,  of 
course,  to  a  superior  court,  which  is  generally 
known  as  the  Court  of  Mules. ' 

''  'Why  is  .  .  .'I  began. 

*'  *0h,  sir!'  interrupted  the  Scrivener,  with 
some  impatience,  'these  things  are  immaterial! 
We  must  use  such  historic  names.  .  .  .  From 
this  Court  again  the  appeal  would  lie,  of  course, 
to  His  Majesty  in  Council,  which  is  the  supreme 
authority  of  the  land.' 

"  'What,'  said  I,  'to  His  Majesty  in  Council 
— the  very  authors  of  the  injustice?' 

"  'Of  course,'  said  the  Scrivener. 

"  'But,'  said  I,  'if  the  verdict  is  in  my  favour, 
what  reason  should  I  have  for  appealing?' 

"  'None,'  said  he,  simply.  'But  your  opponents 
would. ' 

"  'My  opponents  are  the  King  and  his  Council,' 
said  I. 

"  'In  quite  another  aspect,'  said  the  Scrivener, 
looking  on  the  ground  and  falling  silent.  'Under 
these  circumstances,'  said  he,  after  a  pause,  'you 
will  do  very  well  to  proceed.' 

"  'But,'  said  I,  'in  case  these  appeals  .  .  .' 

"He  waved  his  hands.  'We  will  not  talk  of 
appeals  yet,'  he  said  quickly.  'After  all,  you  lose 
nothing  by  first  instance.  Have  you  your  Charter 
with  you?' 

"I  said  I  had,  and  brought  it  out  for  him.  He 
read  it  slowly,  consulted  a  book  for  a  moment, 
and  then  said: 

"  'An  excellent  case !'  (you  may  judge,  my  dear 
nephews,  how  my  heart  leapt  at  these  words!) 

118 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

'An  excellent  case!  .  .  .  You  have  your  Charter 
and  its  terms  are  clear.  By  it  there  is  bound  to 
be  paid  to  you  and  your  heirs  for  ever  the  revenue 
from  the  Salt  Tax,  and  the  issue  will  lie,  I  think, 
upon  whether  the  clause  implies  payment  undi- 
minished and  perpetual,  or  whether  the  recent 
Proclamations  make  a  gumbo-rumbo  of  the 
original. ' 

"  *A  whatr  said  I. 

"  *It  is  a  legal  term,'  said  he,  a  little  wearily, 
'and  signifies  a  mixalum-malory  or  general  con- 
tortation.  .  .  .  But  let  us  not  at  this  stage  go 
into  technicalities  of  that  sort.  We  must  first 
state  our  case.' 

"  'Precisely,'  said  I. 

**  *My  own  fee,'  said  he,  'is  fixed  by  statute,  and 
I  must  ask  you  for  ten  dinars — a  nominal  matter. ' 
With  this,  before  I  could  stop  him,  he  seized  a 
large  metal  disc,  wet  a  corner  of  a  parchment,  put 
the  disc  upon  it,  struck  it  with  a  hammer,  and  then 
held  out  his  hand  for  the  fee.  Luckily  I  had  my 
pouch  with  me,  and  so,  very  reluctantly,  paid  over 
this  first  drop  of  my  disastrous  leakage. 

"  'Good!'  said  the  Scrivener.  'We  must  next 
ask  the  opinion  of  two  eminent  Pleaders.' 

"'Why?'  saidL 

"  'The  law  demands  it,'  said  the  Scrivener. 

*'  'But  you  have  already  given  me  yours,  and 
told  me  it  is  worth  my  while  to  proceed.' 

"  'My  opinion,'  said  the  Scrivener,  shaking  his 
head  vigorously,  'may  serve  to  guide  you,  indeed; 
but  it  would  be  altogether  irregular  to  go  into 
court  upon  that  alone.  So,  I  will  draw  up  a  state- 
ment, as  we  call  it,  and  have  it  put  before  two 

119 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

men  of  the  first  standing — it  is  always  better  in 
these  cases  to  use  the  highest  talent.  In  the  long 
run  it  is  worth  while.* 

*'I  asked  timidly  how  much  this  further  step 
would  cost,  and  was  somewhat  relieved  to  learn 
that  fifty  dinars  to  each  of  these  eminent  men 
would  be  sufficient.  He  asked  me  to  return  on  the 
third  day  when  he  would  give  me  the  responses ; 
and  he  particularly  reminded  me  that  I  should 
upon  that  occasion  not  forget  to  bring  with  me 
at  least  150  dinars. 

**  'But  why  the  other  fifty?'  said  I 
**  'Stamps  and  fees,'  said  the  Scrivener  shortly, 
and  then,  with  infinite  courtesy,  dismissed  me 
from  his  presence. 

*'0n  the  third  day  I  returned,  bearing  with  me 
the  150  dinars  from  my  little  hoard,  which  I  put 
upon  the  Scrivener's  table  to  save  all  further 
difficulties  in  the  matter.  He  poured  the  money 
meditatively  into  a  little  metal  case,  beautifully 
engraved,  and  dating,  I  should  say,  from  the 
second  century  of  the  Flight  of  the  Prophet;  it 
was  probably  (to  my  practised  eye)  of  Syrian 
workmanship. 

**  'Here,'  said  he,  'are  the  responses.' 
*'  'Have  you  them  written?'  said  L 
"  'No,'  said  he.  'We  must  wait  for  that.  The 
first  Pleader,  by  name  the  Most  Noble  Ghadder, 
is  of  the  opinion  that  you  have  a  case  founded 
upon  the  great  principle  of  our  Common  Law,  of 
which  you,  perhaps,  as  a  foreigner,  have  not  heard 
— it  is  the  principle  that  "The  subjects  of  the 
King  can  suffer  no  wrong."  But  he  warns  you 
against  relying  upon  the  Statute  passed  in  the 

120 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

first  year  of  His  Majesty's  father's  reign,  called 
**A  Statute  for  the  Prevention  of  the  Loss  of 
Money  by  the  Rich. ' '  For  this  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  so  many  contradictory  decisions  that  it  is 
a  very  poor  ground.  He  says,  further,  that  there 
are  certain  case  precedents  which  are  interesting, 
and  two  of  which,  at  least,  in  his  judgment,  could 
be  urged  upon  your  side.  In  one  of  these  it  was 
decided  that  if  a  man  had  more  than  a  certain 
income  no  Order  or  Proclamation  should  be 
regarded  as  capable  of  prejudicing  him  or  reduc- 
ing his  wealth.  The  question  would  thus  lie  as  to 
whether  or  no  at  the  time  when  the  first  change 
took  place  you  fell  within  these  limits.  The  second 
Pleader  is  of  an  exactly  opposite  opinion.  He 
says  .  .  .' 

"  'It  is  enough!'  said  I.  'The  first  learned 
Pleader  shall  be  my  guide.  I  am  content  to  hear 
from  him  that  I  have  a  good  case,  which  doubtless 
he  will  continue  for  me  in  court.' 

"  'What!'  said  the  Scrivener,  in  astonishment, 
'do  you  suppose  that  such  men  lend  their  valuable 
services  in  court  for  fifty  dinars?' 

"  'Evidently,'  said  I,  'as  they  have  been  so 
kind  as  to  give  opinions  with  such  nicety ! ' 

' '  The  Scrivener  laughed  as  heartily  as  such  men 
can,  and  begged  me  to  be  disabused.  '  These  are 
but  the  formal  stages.  The  hiring  of  pleaders  is 
quite  another  matter.  Let  me  proceed  to  the 
second  response.  The  second  Pleader,  the  Most 
Noble  Makhar — who,  it  may  interest  you  to  know, 
is  a  negro  by  descent — ^we  have  many  such  at  our 
Bar,  they  have  marvellous  abilities,  that  strange 
race — ^is  of  an  opinion,  I  say,  exactly  contrary  to 

121 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

the  other.  He  thinks  your  chance  under  the  Com- 
mon Law  very  doubtful.  But  he  thinks  you  are 
secure  under  the  Statute  passed  for  the  Preven- 
tion of  Cruelty  to  the  Important — that  is  its 
general  title — dated  from  the  first  year  of  the 
reign  of  His  Majesty's  late  father.  All  the  cases, 
he  says,  are  against  you ;  but  the  general  principle 
of  the  Statute  stands.' 

''When  I  had  heard  all  this  I  said,  'Oh!* 

"The  old  Scrivener  gazed  down  at  the  floor 
between  his  feet,  where  he  sat  upon  his  rug,  and 
I  gazed  down  at  mine,  not  knowing  what  next  to 
say. 

"  'My  fee  for  this  second  interview,'  said  he 
pleasantly,  after  what  he  thought  was  a  sufficient 
interval,  'is  the  same  as  for  the  first,  ten  dinars.' 

"  'I  have  not  brought  them  with  me,'  I  said, 
having  only  brought  the  150  dinars  previously 
asked  for. 

"  '  It  is  nothing,  My  Lord, '  he  answered,  waving 
his  hand  majestically  (and  again,  I  thought,  as  in 
the  case  of  my  friend,  with  a  touch  of  patronage). 
'We  all  know  and  respect  your  position  of  late 
Councillor,  and  I  should  be  the  last  to  press  you.' 

"I  begged  him  to  wait  a  moment  until  I  should 
return.  I  hurried  to  my  wretched  lodgings  and 
quickly  came  back  with  the  sum  which  he  required. 
He  put  it  into  the  little  metal  box.  I  thought  he 
was  ready  to  dismiss  me,  and  I  was  about  to  ask 
on  what  date  the  case  might  first  be  tried,  when  he 
said,  to  my  surprise : 

"  'But  we  must  first  have  Pleader's  Opinion.' 

"  'But,  Great  Heavens!'  said  I,  'have  we  not 
got  itr 

122 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

**Wliy,  no,'  said  he.  'We  have  not  yet  a 
Pleader's  Opinion.  We  have,  so  far,  only  the 
Opinion  of  Pleaders.' 

''  'And  what  in  the  name  of  Fatimeh  and 
Katisha  is  the  difference?" 

"  'Surely,'  said  he,  'you  have  heard  of  the  dis- 
tinction! The  Opinion  of  Pleaders  is  the  verbal 
response  to  the  Scrivener,  but  the  law  requires 
that  another  response  shall  be  added  in  writing, 
and  this  we  call  Pleader's  Opinion.' 

"Once  more  I  could  find  no  other  commentary 
but  a  cry. 

"  'And  at  what  cost?'  I  moaned  in  a  hollow 
voice. 

"He  turned  to  a  written  list  of  fees,  then  to  a 
special  memorandum  of  his  own.  He  made  a  short 
calculation  upon  an  abacus  and  answered,  'three 
hundred  dinars.' 

"I  kept  my  mouth  from  blasphemy  and  asked 
him  when  the  sum  would  be  required, 

"  'It  is  a  mere  formality,'  said  he,  'this  written 
opinion,  but  we  must  have  a  record.' 

"  'Yes,  yes,'  said  I. 

"  'And  I  will,'  said  he,  'take  the  opportunity  of 
obtaining  the  same  before  you  come  again.' 

"Once  more  I  returned  to  my  disgusting  rooms, 
took  money  from  my  secret  hoard  and,  returning, 
put  into  the  Scrivener 's  hands  a  little  parcel  of  300 
dinars.  He  dropped  them  thoughtfully  through 
his  fingers  in  little  streams  till  they  nearly  filled 
his  metal  box. 

"  'It  is  a  pretty  box,  is  it  not?'  he  said.  'I  took 
it  for  a  bad  debt  from  one  of  my  clients,  who  most 
unfortunately  died  by  his  own  hand  in  a  fit  of 

123 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

melancholy  after  the  most  distressing  disappoint- 
ments in  his  suits  at  law. ' 

**  'And  as  to  the  date?'  I  said. 

' '  '  The  date  1 '  Once  more  he  consulted  another 
document,  then  clapped  his  hands  for  the  slave 
who  sat  in  his  outer  apartment,  and  having  asked 
him  a  question  in  some  incomprehensible  jargon, 
received  an  answer  no  less  mysterious.  Then  he 
turned  to  me  and  said:  'It  will  come  on  at  some 
date  after  the  next  New  Moon  but  one.* 

'  *  *  Cannot  I  have  a  precise  date  1 '  said  I,  for  I 
was  thinking  anxiously  of  my  diminishing  capital 
and  wondering  how  long  I  could  maintain  my 
poor  life  before  my  cash  should  be  completely 
exhausted. 

"  'That  is  obviously  impossible,"  he  answered 
with  a  touch  of  indignation,  which  he  evidently 
thought  merited.  'No  man  can  say  how  long  the 
cases  before  yours  will  last,  nor  in  what  order  it 
may  please  His  Holiness  the  Judge  to  take  them. 
It  will  probably  come,  by  the  way,'  said  he,  peering 
at  another  list,  'before  His  Holiness  Benshaitan.' 

"With  that  I  left  him  and  waited  my  call  to  the 
Court. 

' '  The  time  dragged  wearily  enough.  I  ate  most 
sparingly  and  bought  no  raiment,  nor  even  any 
game  to  pass  my  time,  but  my  little  stock  dwindled 
day  by  day.  My  hours  were  spent  gazing  upon 
the  busy  life  of  the  port,  or  sometimes  standing 
on  the  edge  of  the  pier  and  staring  out  to  sea,  as 
though  I  could  read  in  the  distant  mainland 
beyond  the  horizon  some  hopes  of  a  better  fortune 
and  a  life  restored.  Daily,  as  the  time  approached 
for  my  case  to  be  heard,  as  the  second  New  Moon 

124 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

grew  with  every  evening  brighter  in  the  last  of 
its  crescent,  I  consulted  oJBBcials  of  the  Court.  I 
discovered  it  was  customary  to  give  each  some 
small  sum  of  five  or  six  dinars  before  they  would 
answer  a  question.  It  was  upon  the  twelfth  day, 
the  moon  being  nearly  full,  that  the  case  before 
mine  (which  turned  upon  whether  a  man  without 
means  should  owe  for  a  debt  or  should  postpone 
payment,  and  had  lasted  five  exciting  days,)  was 
concluded.  I  heard  that  the  precedent  created  was 
of  the  first  importance,  but  would  be  subject  to 
appeal. 

''The  sun  sank.  It  was  with  the  morrow  that 
my  case  was  to  be  called. 

''I  rose  on  that  eventful  day  long  before  dawn. 
I  put  on  my  raiment  with  the  utmost  care,  after 
having  cleansed  it  with  my  own  hands  to  make  it 
as  presentable  as  possible,  lest  the  poverty  of  my 
appearance  should  in  some  way  prejudice  me.  I 
had  already  given  notice  that  I  would  appear 
myself;  for  the  fees  asked  by  the  Pleaders  were 
quite  beyond  the  poor  remnant  of  my  purse.  I 
must  confess  that  I  had  been  strongly  dissuaded 
from  such  action,  but  I  had  no  choice.  I  found  a 
great  crowd  assembled,  for  my  name  was  familiar 
to  all  through  the  position  I  had  enjoyed  in  the 
past;  and  it  is  ever  of  an  absorbing  interest  to 
watch  the  miseries  of  another. 

**I  took  my  seat  at  a  place  reserved  for  me 
immediately  opposite  the  bench.  I  noted  on  my 
right  the  Pleaders  chosen  by  the  Council,  and 
beyond,  among  the  spectators,  not  a  few  of  my 
former  colleagues. 

"The  Pleaders  were  arranged  in  the  vestments 
125 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

proper  to  their  great  function,  resembling  the 
priests  of  a  religion,  and  bearing  upon  their  heads, 
I  noticed,  what  they  never  showed  outside,  a 
strange  headgear  of  mule  skin  with  twisted  hair 
and  long,  furry  ears.  The  Judge,  I  saw,  was 
clothed  in  the  most  magnificent  cloth  of  gold, 
inscribed  with  the  sacred  texts  and  loaded  with 
furs  of  such  rare  animals  as  the  sacred  Rat,  the 
white  Jackal  of  Thibet,  and  the  Skunk,  and  bore 
upon  his  head  a  crown,  which  he  lifted  three  times 
as  a  salute  to  the  Court,  while  all  fell  prostrate 
before  him,  murmuring  in  a  buzz  of  low,  prayerful 
whispers  their  praise  and  incantation  to  him  as 
the  representative  of  God. 

**  These  ceremonies  concluded,  there  was  a 
bustle  of  men  rising  and  taking  their  seats  upon 
the  rugs  of  the  court,  the  Judge  himself  upon  a 
sort  of  throne  overlooking  the  whole,  and  the 
proceedings  began. 

"A  short  man  stood  in  front  of  the  Judge's 
throne,  who  rose  and  piped  in  a  shrill  voice, 
*Mahmoud  claims  against  the  King.'  He  then 
sat  down,  and  from  sundry  pushes  and  jerks 
which  I  received  from  my  friends,  including  the 
Scrivener,  who  was  kind  enough  to  accompany  me 
to  the  Court,  I  saw  that  I  was  expected  to  rise 
from  my  carpet  and  put  my  case. 

"I  said:  'Your  Holiness  and  Voice  of  God* 
(for  such  is  the  formula  required,  as  a  kind  friend 
had  warned  me :  and  if  one  word  be  omitted  the 
culprit  is  not  only  forbidden  to  plead  but  is  thrust 
into  a  dungeon  of  the  most  noisome  kind).  'Your 
Holiness,'  I  opened,  'and  Voice  of  God.'  I  had 
from  the  King  and  his  Councillors  a  Charter.    It 

126 


AL-WUKALA,  OE  THE  LAWYEES 

was  given  me  as  against  one  million  dinars  paid 
to  them  in  gold  by  me  on  such  and  such  a  date.  I 
shall  show  the  Charter  to  you,  and  you  will  see 
there  the  promise  that  I  am  to  receive,  as  against 
the  payment  I  made,  the  revenue  from  the  Salt 
Tax  for  ever  and  ever,  so  long  as  the  State  shall 
endure  and  the  tax  be  levied.  This  tax  has  been 
in  great  part  remitted,  and  by  special  imposts  the 
remaining  part  has  been  wiped  out.  I  claim  that 
this  Charter  gives  me  the  right  to  the  original 
revenue  from  the  State  in  full.'  And  I  then 
concluded  with  the  magic  formula  with  which 
my  friends  had  very  kindly  provided  me,  'and 
that,  Divine  One,  is  my  case.'  This  formality 
completed,  I  sat  down. 

"I  flattered  myself  I  had  done  well,  for  all  had 
been  told  with  perfect  ease,  and,  after  all,  there 
was  nothing  more  to  be  said.  But  before  I  took 
my  place,  cross-legged  upon  my  carpet,  I  handed 
up  to  those  who  served  the  Bench  my  original  of 
the  Charter,  signed  and  sealed,  the  which  I  had 
consulted.  The  Judge  rose  from  the  throne  where 
he  was  seated,  put  the  Charter  down  carefully 
upon  his  throne,  sat  upon  it,  and  ordered  the  case 
to  proceed. 

''In  the  chief  of  the  Pleaders  upon  the  other 
side,  I  was  pleased  to  see  an  old  guest  of  mine. 
He  nodded  to  me  familiarly,  rose,  and  opened  his 
statement,  beginning,  as  I  did,  with  the  ritual 
phrase.  'Your  Holiness  and  Voice  of  God,'  said 
he,  'His  Majesty  and  Council  have  instructed  me. 
T  admit  that  this  is  a  case  of  peculiar  subtlety  and 
difficulty,  nor  do  I  doubt  that  it  will  employ  many 
of  my  colleagues,  not  only  in  this  Court  but  in 

127 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

superior  courts,  for  many  months  to  come. 
Indeed,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  one  of  them  has 
recently  purchased  a  marvellous  vehicle  which 
travels  rapidly  of  its  own  act  without  horses,  a. 
foreign  invention,  in  which  he  would  not  have| 
invested  had  he  not  foreseen  the  lengthy  and 
lucrative  nature  of  the  case.  But  that  is  by  the 
way.  I  only  mention  it  in  order  to  make  Your 
Holiness  understand  that  we  have  here  to  settle 
an  issue  which  indeed  could  hardly  have  been 
brought  before  any  Judge  less  divine  than 
yourself. ' 

' '  There  followed  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
a  fine  passage  upon  the  majesty  of  the  law  and 
the  pecuhar  gifts  and  virtues  of  the  Judges.  But 
through  the  whole  of  it  he  insisted  in  every  second 
sentence  upon  the  gravity  of  the  case  and  its 
difficulty.  I  was  flattered  and  surprised.  I  had 
not  thought  that  my  opponents  would  make  so 
much  of  me ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  remembered 
that  their  payment  was  at  the  charge  of  the  public 
and  that  every  day  added  to  the  sum  they  received. 
He  next  touched  upon  the  folly  of  the  Salt  Tax, 
its  iniquity,  its  old-fashionedness,  its  absurdity, 
and  after  an  hour  of  this  paused  a  moment  to 
pull  down  and  smooth  the  long  furry  ears  of  his 
headgear. 

**In  the  second  hour  he  brought  in  the  very 
words  of  the  Charter.  He  first  recited  them,  ^for 
ever  and  for  ever,  so  long  as  the  State  shall 
endure  arid  the  salt  tax  he  paid.'  He  insisted, 
with  repeated  emphasis,  upon  the  word  ' and\  In 
the  third  and  fourth  hours  he  quoted  150  instances 
of   cases   in   which   this    word   had   completely 

128 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

changed  the  character  of  a  document,  as,  for 
instance,  in  the  famous  case  known  as  Abraham's 
Will,  where  the  testator  left  all  his  property  to 
his  beloved  wife,  Fatimah,  and  the  remainder  to 
her  mother.  Next,  he  quoted  the  case  known  as 
the  'Degree  of  Dignity,'  when  it  was  ordered  that 
all  those  apprehended  for  speaking  disrespectfully 
of  the  Grand  Mufti  should  be  brought  into  his 
presence  and  decapitated.  Again  (what  interested 
me  very  much,  for  it  was  connected  with  Money), 
the  terms  of  the  statute,  now  over  one  hundred 
years  old,  by  which  the  Councillors  of  the  King 
receive  one  dinar  per  day  and  whatever  other 
sum  they  see  fit  to  vote  themselves  out  of  the  taxes. 
''It  was  the  word  'and/  said  he,  that  made  the 
difference  in  all  these  cases.  He  might  call 
witnesses  to  show  that  the  word  was  inserted  in 
the  Charter  to  render  the  phrase  abortive,  absurd, 
nonsensical  and  altogether  of  no  effect.  But, 
alternatively,  supposing  that  the  word  'and'  but 
confirmed  my  case  in  the  decision  of  His  Holiness, 
then  he  pleaded  that  the  Charter,  having  been 
obtained  by  a  stranger,  not  a  subject  of  the  King, 
was  null  and  void.  Supposing  that  it  were  upheld 
in  spite  of  this,  then,  alternatively,  that  I, 
Mahmoud,  was  a  subject  of  the  King,  a  native 
born,  and  therefore  subject  to  the  King's  decisions 
in  Council.  Finally,  he  concluded  that  in  any 
case  I  must  not  win  because,  if  I  did,  it  would 
make  His  Majesty's  Council  and  members 
thereof  look  like  a  fool  severally  and  collectively, 
than  which  no  more  deplorable  thing  could  happen 
to  the  State.  Further,  even  if  His  Holiness  should 
decide  that  it  mattered  not  a  rusty  nail  whether 

129 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

the  Council  were  made  to  look  fools  or  no,  there 
was,  anyhow,  no  money  to  pay  me.  This  estab- 
lished a  default  contumax  and  a  discharge  in  alias 
of  the  second  degree.  I  give  his  exact  words,  for 
I  noted  them  at  the  time,  and  could  guess  vaguely 
that  they  must  be  of  grave  import.  When  he  got 
so  far  I  noticed  a  great  commotion  among  his 
colleagues.  Every  man  in  court  wore  an  expres- 
sion of  strained  attention  mixed  with  admiration, 
and  the  Judge  himself  could  not  withhold  from 
his  august  features  something  of  the  same  tribute 
to  this  Genius  of  Debate. 

**  'Note  also.  Your  Holiness,'  continued  the 
Pleader,  wagging  his  arched  forefinger  (which 
was  long  and  pointed)  very  significantly  in  the 
air,  'the  contumax  in  advert  to  subvert  .  .  .  and 
the  same  regardant. '  He  added  in  a  sort  of  sneer- 
ing tone:  *I  will  not  weary  the  Court  with  that' 
(I  could  see  that  the  Judge  nodded),  'but  even 
the  plaintiff,  learned  as  he  is  in  the  law,  will 
admit,'  and  here  he  turned  and  addressed  me  with 
a  very  contemptuous  expression,  'that  plevin 
would  not  obtain  in  the  case  of  recognisance,  or 
at  any  rate  in  the  defection  thereof  would  be 
docketed  as  an  endorsement  pursuant.  An 
endorsement  pursuant  would  stand  void,'  he 
continued,  with  a  renewed  interest  in  his  tone  (he 
now  excited  a  feverish  attention  in  his  audience), 
*for  that  is  in  the  very  foundation,  I  take  it,  of 
our  law  of  terce  and  perinomy  and  has  been 
upheld  by  a  long  succession  of  your  Holiness 's 
predecessors  from  the  origins  of  our  Sacred 
Lawyers '  Guild. ' 

"Here  again  I  thought  I  noticed  the  trace  of  an 
130 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

uncertain  nod  from  the  august  figure  upon  the 
bench.  'It  comes,  therefore,'  concluded  this 
eloquent  man,  4n  plain  words,  to  this:  we  rely 
on  the  terms  general,  and  the  reference  particular, 
each  interconnected,  and  certainly  maintain  that 
guaranty  lies  overt. '  Here  he  stopped  dead,  and 
then  added  in  simple  and  lower  tones:  'That  is 
my  case.'  Then  he  sat  down.  I  am  told  it  was 
one  of  the  most  marvellous  efforts  in  all  the 
history  of  the  Lawyers'  Guild. 

**  Applause  may  be  permitted  even  in  the 
Mosque  or  the  most  sacred  of  Shrines,  but  not  in 
the  august  presence  of  the  law.  Yet  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  the  enraptured  pleaders  present,  the 
scriveners  and  their  attendants,  could  forbear 
from  open  praise.  A  man  whom  I  did  not  know 
and  who  sat  next  to  me,  cross-legged,  upon  his 
mat,  one  of  the  pleaders,  I  think  (for  he  also  wore 
the  mule  skin  with  long,  furry  ears  upon  his  head), 
muttered  to  me  that  it  was  the  finest  opening  he 
had  heard  since  Achmet  had  opened  for  the 
Sheik-ul-Musrim  in  the  Oyster  Case,  and  that  was 
saying  a  great  deal. 

"When  this  great  Pleader  had  sat  down  there 
was  a  complete  silence  in  court,  which  lasted  for 
some  time  and  seemed  to  me  a  little  embarrassing. 
At  last  I  perceived  that  I  was  in  some  way  the 
object  of  too  much  attention,  and  my  friend  the 
Scivener  leant  over  with  the  suggestion  that  I 
should  call  my  witnesses.  'But  I  have  none,' 
whispered  I  over  my  shoulder  in  great  trepidation. 
'I  have  my  Charter.    That  is  enough,  is  it  not?' 

"The  Scrivener  shrugged  his  shoulders  as 
though  in  despair,  and  left  me  to  my  fate. 

131 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

''Then  was  it  that  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  great 
Judge  booming  into  my  ears.  'What  evidence  is 
there  for  the  plaintiff?* 

' '  I  rose  trembling.  '  I  have  given  you  all  I  have, 
^our  Holiness.  * 

"  'You  have  given  me  none,'  thundered  that 
tremendous  personage.  'All  you  have  done  is  to 
make  an  opening  plea.  * 

"  ' I  thought, '  stammered  I,  'that  I  had  stated  all 
that  I  had  to  state. ' 

' '  The  Judge  glanced  round  at  his  fellow  lawyers 
with  a  look  of  despair,  then  leaning  forward,  with 
a  sort  of  tenderness  in  his  tone,  he  said :  'Be  good 
enough  to  mount  the  Sacred  Stool  reserved  for  the 
witnesses. '  "With  that  a  little  block  of  wood  was 
brought  forward,  and  upon  it  I  mounted,  and  so 
stood  conscious  and  foolish  before  the  Court. 

"His  Holiness  the  Judge  leaned  back  on  his 
throne  and  surveyed  me  with  the  contempt  I 
deserved,  nor  did  he  repress  the  little  titter  that 
ran  through  the  assembly.  An  official  squatted 
in  front  of  the  throne  put  a  scroll  into  my  hand, 
bade  me  put  it  to  my  forehead  and  repeat  after 
him  certain  words,  the  sense  of  which  I  lost  in  my 
perturbation.  But  I  did  as  I  was  bidden.  After 
that  I  remained  dumb.  'Well,'  said  His  Holiness, 
sharply,  after  a  long  pause,  'how  much  longer  are 
We  to  wait?' 

"  'Pray,  your  Godship,  what  would  you  have?' 
said  I. 

"  'I  would  have  your  evidence,'  said  the  Judge. 

"  'I  have  no  evidence  to  give,'  I  tremblingly 
replied, '  save  what  you  have  already  heard. ' 

132 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

**  *I  have  heard  none,*  said  he,  and  again  the 
titter  went  round  the  court. 

* '  Moved  to  action,  I  repeated  exactly  what  I  had 
said  before,  that  the  words  were  what  they  were 
in  the  Charter,  the  clause  was  what  it  was.  I 
repeated  it  point  by  point. 

*  *  The  Judge  turned  to  the  Pleader  who  had  just 
sat  down  and  said :  * '  Now,  brother  Selim, '  where- 
upon my  former  friend  and  guest  rose,  looked  me 
up  and  down  in  a  very  offensive  manner  from  head 
to  foot  three  or  four  times,  and  cried : 

"  *You  drunken  scoundrel!  Do  you  still  main- 
tain the  abominable  falsehood  which  you  have  had 
the  insolence  to  lay  before  the  Court  ? ' 

* '  I  said  there  was  no  falsehood,  but  the  truth. 

**  'The  truth!'  he  sneered.  'Remember,  pray, 
that  you  have  taken  an  oath  in  the  name  of  the 
Scroll,  and  trivial  as  this  may  seem  to  a  man  of 
your  depraved  character,  others  take  the  matter 
more  seriously. ' 

"I  stood  silent  under  the  rebuke  and  waited  his 
further  words. 

**  'Well,  well,"  said  he  suddenly,  'where  were 
you  half  an  hour  after  sunrise  on  the  fourth  day 
of  the  Fast  of  Ramadan  in  the  three  hundred  and 
seventh  year  from  the  Flight  of  the  Prophet? ' 

"As  I  stood  aghast  at  the  question,  he  touched 
one  hand  significantly  with  the  finger  of  the  other 
and  said,  'I  do  not  wish  to  press  you. * 

"  'I  have  not  the  least  idea,'  said  I. 

"The  Pleader  glanced  significantly  at  the  Judge 
and  then  continued : 

"  'You  haven't  the  least  idea?  Can  you  tell  me 
approximately  where  you  were?' 

133 


TBffi  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

**  *No,  I  cannot,'  said  I.  *It  is  very  long  ago, 
and  I  was  but  a  young  and  innocent  child. 

*  *  Here  the  Judge  interrupted  me  sharply :  *  We 
are  not  concerned  with  your  young  and  innocent 
childhood.  Answer  the  question,  if  you  please, 
and  make  no  speeches.  * 

*  *  The  Pleader  consulted  his  notes,  looked  up  to 
me  again  and  said :  ^  You  have  told  us  the  Charter 
was  signed  in  your  presence  and  delivered  over 
to  you." 

"*  Yes,' said  L 

**  'Don't  answer,'  interrupted  His  Holiness, 
sharply,  until  you  are  asked  a  question. 

***No,'  saidL 

**  'Take  great  care,  witness,'  said  His  Holiness 
in  a  menacing  voice.    *  Take  very  great  care ! ' 

**  'Thank  You,  your  Holiness,'  said  the  Pleader. 
*And  now,  sir,'  said  he,  addressing  me  in  a  very 
firm  tone  indeed,  as  though  he  had  caught  red- 
handed  some  thief  creeping  in  to  his  household, 
'will  you  please  tell  us  where  is  that  Charter  now? 
Can  you  produce  it  ? ' 

"  'His  Holiness  is  sitting  on  it,'  said  I,  simply. 

"Here  the  Judge  almost  rose  from  his  throne, 
so  strongly  was  he  moved. 

"  'Were  you  not  a  layman  and  naturally  ignor- 
ant of  the  forms  of  the  Court,  I  should  condemn 
you  to  some  very  severe  penalty,'  said  he.  *I 
make  allowance  for  your  lack  of  custom;  but  I 
warn  you,  you  may  go  too  far. ' 

"  'I  will  pass  over  the  last  remark,  witness,* 
continued  the  Pleader  in  dignified  tones.  'I  think 
you  were  not  quite  yourself  when  you  made  it. 

134 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

Will  you  be  good  enough  to  answer  my  question? 
Where  is  the  Charter  now?' 

'*  'Well,'  said  I,  all  bewildered,  ''I  handed  it  up 
for  His  Holiness  to  see  what  my  case  was,  and  to 
the  best  of  my  belief  he ' 

'*  'Silence,'  thundered  the  Judge.  'Brother 
Selim,  I  am  afraid  we  shall  get  no  further  on  this 
tack.  The  witness  evidently  does  not  or  will  not 
understand  your  drift.  Allow  me  to  ask  him  a 
question.'  He  then  turned  with  a  sort  of  false 
kindness  upon  his  face  and  said  to  me  in  measured 
tones;  'What  we  want  to  know  is,  where  is  the 
Charter  upon  which  you  claim  1 ' 

"  'I  put  it  into  Court  .  .  .  '  I  began. 

"At  this  the  Judge  gave  a  little  gesture  of 
despair  and  sighed.    Then  he  spoke. 

"  'It  is  a  principle  of  the  law  of  this  country,' 
said  His  Holiness,  leaning  back  in  apparent  weari- 
ness as  though  he  were  instructing  a  child,  'I 
should  have  thought  a  principle  known  even  to  the 
meanest  of  His  Majesty's  subjects,  that  a  docu- 
ment must  be  proved.  Have  you  proved  the 
Charter  of  which  you  speak ! ' 

"  'I  don't  know  what  you  mean.  Your  Holiness,' 
said  I,  in  very  genuine  fear. 

"The  Judge  leaned  forward  towards  me  and 
said  in  measured  tones:  'Remember  that  I  am 
treating  you  leniently.  I  am  doing  what  I  can  for 
you,  I  understand  the  difficulty  of  your  position. 
Take  care !  Take  very  great  care !  Brother  Selim, 
have  you  any  other  questions  to  ask?' 

"  'I  have  one  or  two  of  some  consequence,  if  I 
may  be  allowed,  Your  Holiness  1 ' 

135 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

*  *  Certainly,  brother  Selim.  Pray  continue.  We 
are  all  ears.' 

''The  Pleader  cleared  his  throat,  again  con- 
sulted his  notes,  looked  up  to  me  and  said :  'What 
were  your  earnings  in  games  of  hazard  during  the 
year  concluding  with  the  opening  of  the  last  Feast 
of  Ramadan  ? ' 

"I  answered  that  I  had  no  exact  calculation,  but 
that  I  had  small  stomach  for  such  pastimes,  and 
might  have  won  or  lost  anything  between  one 
hundred  and  two  hundred  dinars. 

'^  'Take  care,  take  very  great  care!'  said  His 
Holiness,  addressing  me  again. 

' '  'Between  one  or  two  hundred  dinars, '  said  the 
Pleader,  in  a  musing  sort  of  voice,  and  I  noticed 
that  the  Judge  was  taking  a  note  of  my  reply. 
*Now  be  good  enough,  you  base  fellow,  to  answer 
me  this — and  remember  you  are  upon  your  oath — 
have  you  been  in  the  habit  of  cheating  at  cards, 
loading  dice,  stacking  packs,  palming  coins,  and 
in  other  ways  overreaching  those  who  joined 
you  in  what  they  thought  to  be  an  innocent 
amusement  ? ' 

' '  I  was  about  to  reply  when  he  again  thundered 
at  me :  '  Remember  you  are  upon  your  oath, '  and 
His  Holiness  was  moved  to  add : 

"  'Take  care,  witness,  take  very  great  care  I' 

*"No,'  said  L 

"At  this  moment  I  was  astonished  to  see  every- 
body, including  the  Pleader,  sit  down  suddenly, 
cross-legged,  upon  the  floor,  while  I  stood  there 
upon  my  little  block  of  wood,  most  terribly 
conspicuous.  It  was  due  to  a  gesture  from  the 
Judge. 

136 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

"  'So  far,'  said  he,  in  a  solemn  and  majestic 
manner,  'I  have  allowed  things  to  take  their 
course,  because,  as  I  have  said,  every  latitude  must 
be  allowed  to  one  who  is  foolish  enough  to  plead 
his  own  case.  But  the  dignity  of  His  Majesty's 
Court  forbids  me  to  be  silent  upon  hearing  this 
last  reply  to  a  question  of  the  most  profound  and 
searching  kind,  requiring  an  adequate  reply.  The 
witness  has  insolently  answered  **No".'  He  then 
turned  to  me  and  said,  with  a  severity  that  thrilled 
me  to  the  marrow:  'This  is  a  Civil  Court;  but 
remember,  sir,'  and  here  he  raised  his  voice  in  a 
very  terrible  manner,  *I  can  impound  documents 
and  present  all  that  you  have  said  to  the  Lord 
Prosecutor. ' 

''  'Yes,  Your  Holiness,'  said  I,  now  thoroughly 
at  sea. 

"  'Proceed,'  said  the  Judge,  simply,  to  the 
Pleader. 

"  'I  have  only  one  more  question  to  ask,'  said 
the  Pleader. 

"  'Proceed,  proceed,  brother  Selim,'  said  the 
Judge  with  geniality. 

"  'Do  you  or  do  you  not  suffer  from  the  itch?' 

"  'My  lord,'  said  I,  'am  I  really  to  reply  to ' 

"His  Holiness  interrupted  me  with  a  violence 
which  I  little  expected  from  one  in  so  exalted  a 
position.  'Answer  the  question!'  he  shouted, 
'answer  the  question  at  once!' 

"  'Well,'  said  I,  'to  tell  the  truth,  I  have  some 
little  affection  of  the  sole  of  my  left  foot,  but  I 
conceive  that  with  careful  attention  and  proper 
medical  advice ' 

' '  '  That  will  do, '  said  the  Pleader,  putting  up  his 
137 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

haiid.    *We  have  heard  all  we  need  to  hear,'  and 
he  sat  down  again  npon  his  mat. 

"  'Any  rebulgence?'  said  His  Holiness,  looking 
round  with  a  pleasant  smile  upon  all  assembled. 

**I  had  no  idea  what  was  meant,  but  my  friend 
the  Scrivener  passed  me  up  a  little  note,  saying, 
'Do  you  carefully  re-examine  yourself  so  as  to 
undo  the  effect  of  this  terrible  cross-examination. ' 

''It  was  all  Greek  to  me,  but  grasping  at  a  straw 
I  addressed  His  Holiness,  and  said : 

"  'Oh,  Voice  of  God  and  Justice  upon  earth!  I 
would  like  to  ask  myself  certain  questions.' 

"  'By  all  means,'  said  he  graciously.  'Let  me 
inform  you  what  is  the  custom  of  the  Court.  You 
have  first  to  stand  and  ask  yourself  the  question ; 
you  shall  then  stand  up  again  and  reply  to  it. ' 

"Kneeling,  I  struck  the  pavement  of  the  court 
three  times  with  my  forehead  as  is  the  custom,  and 
rising  again  turned  towards  the  empty  space  upon 
the  little  block  of  wood  and  said: 

"  'Now,  witness,  remember  you  are  upon  your 
oath ;  did  you  or  did  you  not  receive  the  Charter 
from  the  King  and  his  Council  in  the  terms  you 
have  mentioned?' 

' '  I  then  leapt  upon  the  little  block  of  wood  and 
turning  to  the  place  I  had  just  occupied,  I  said : 

"  'I  did.' 

"I  then  jumped  down  again  (luckily  I  was  still 
a  young  man  and  the  exercise  did  not  affect  me  or 
cause  me  loss  of  breath)  and  I  asked: 

"  'What  did  you  do  with  that  document?' 

"I  leapt  upon  the  little  block  of  wood  again  and 
turned  to  the  place  I  had  just  occupied  and 
answered : 

138 


AL-WUKALA,  OK  THE  LAWYERS 

**  'I  brought  it  into  court.' 

* '  Once  more  did  I  take  up  my  place  on  the  floor, 
standing  beneath  the  little  block  of  wood. 

''  'Having  brought  it  into  court,  what  did  you 
do  with  itf 

' '  I  returned  to  my  little  block  of  wood,  faced  the 
place  I  had  just  occupied  and  said: 

''  'I  handed  it  up  to  His  Holiness.' 

"The  Judge  then  spoke.  'I  have  had  enough 
of  this  and  I  refuse  to  waste  the  time  of  the  Court 
longer.  It  is  in  my  power  to  condemn  you  to  the 
King's  dungeons  for  ever,  and  I  may  say  that 
never  in  my  long  experience  of  our  august  Courts 
have  I  come  across  anything  to  parallel  your 
repeated  insolence.  I  have  already  told  you  that 
you  have  not  proved  your  document  and  therefore 
for  the  purposes  of  this  Court  it  does  not  exist. 
Stand  down.' 

' '  The  words  '  stand  down '  signify  in  the  techni- 
cal language  of  this  great  people  'sit  down,'  and 
can  only  be  disobeyed  under  the  most  fearful 
penalties.  I  at  once  obeyed  and  resumed  my  place 
cross-legged  upon  the  mat. 

"The  Judge  was  now  free  to  give  his  decision, 
but  first  he  turned  to  the  Pleader  who  had  opposed 
me  and  said  in  the  most  genial  tones : 

"  'Brother  Selim,  you  have,  I  take  it,  proved 
your  document,  especially  the  word  "and"?' 

"  'Oh,  yes,  my  lord,'  answered  he,  in  a  satisfied 
manner.  'I  have  further  interpleaded  for  sec- 
ondary and  excised  the  four  principal  terminants, 
all  of  which  are  duly  stamped,  passed,  filed, 
recorded,  exuded,  denoted,  permuted,  polluted 
and   redeemed.'     To   each   of   these   words   the 

139 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

Judge  nodded  with  greater  and  greater  content, 
and  then  asked : 

'^  ^Do  yon  call  any  further  witnesses,  brother 
Selimr 

**  *I  call  none,'  replied  the  eminent  man,  *for  if 
I  do  the  vile  plaintiff  would  have  an  opportunity 
of  cross-examining  them  and  that  would  give  away 
my  whole  case.' 

*'  *I  think  you  have  done  wisely,'  said  His  Holi- 
ness, by  way  of  an  obiter  dictum.  'Things  shall 
therefore  turn  upon  the  Charter  alone.'  With 
these  words  I  perceived  by  the  rustle  all  about  me 
that  the  last  phase  of  the  trial  had  come  and  that 
my  fate  was  sealed.  I  thought  I  had  observed  in 
the  manner  of  its  conduct  I  will  not  say  a  bias,  but 
a  sort  of  atmosphere  unfavourable  to  my  claims ; 
for  though  it  was  impossible  to  conceive  that  any 
personal  or  other  feeling  could  affect  His  Holi- 
ness 's  mind,  yet  I  dreaded  his  decision.  None  the 
less  I  awaited  that  decision  with  some  interest, 
for,  after  all,  nothing  is  certain  until  it  is  con- 
cluded. 

*'The  judge  put  down  his  crown,  assumed  a 
headgear  which  resembled  that  of  the  Special 
Pleaders  but  gilded,  and  with  the  interior  of  the 
long  furry  ears  carefully  painted  in  silver  by  way 
of  contrast;  for  such  the  Custom  of  the  Law 
demands  when  a  decision  is  about  to  be  delivered. 

"He  spoke: 

*  *  *  From  the  evidence  that  has  been  laid  before 
me  it  is  clear  that  there  exists,  or  has  existed,  will 
exist,  or  may  exist,  or  can  exist  or  at  some  other 
time  existed,  demurrer  notwithstanding,  some 
Charter  wherein  the  word  and  is  the  point  at  issue. 

140 


4L-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

That  form  was  admitted  by  the  defence,  I  think  ? ' 
All  the  Pleaders  rose  and  bowed  and  then  again 
were  seated  upon  their  carpets.  'But  I  gather' 
(and  here  he  looked  sternly  at  me)  'that  there  was 
no  acceptance  by  the  Plaintiff,  We  have,  I  take  it, 
an  operative  clause  wherein  the  operative  word 
is  AND.  "And  so  long  as  the  salt  tax  endures." 
Many  points  brought  forward  in  defence  of  the 
Crown  I  am  compelled  to  overlook.  It  is  the  glory 
of  our  courts  of  justice  that  they  exercise  an 
absolutely  even-handed  dealing  between  man  and 
man,  and  that  His  Majesty  himself  is  bound  by 
their  decisions.'  (Here  there  was  a  murmur  of 
applause  which  was  instantly  suppressed.)  'I 
make  therefore  so  bold  as  to  say  that  the  Counsel 
engaged  by  his  Majesty  on  this  occasion  have 
said  many  things  with  which  I  do  not  agree  and 
others  which  I  shall  not  take  into  account.  It  is 
equally  clear  that  the  case  presented  by  the  Plain- 
tiff is,  as  he  put  it,  no  case  at  all,  and  that  were  I 
to  rely,  as  I  shall  not,  upon  the  strict  forms  of 
law,  he  is  already  out  of  Court. '  At  this  all  looked 
severely  on  me  and  I  felt  my  stature  singularly 
diminished,  and  crouched  lower  upon  my  mat. 
His  Holiness   continued: 

"  'I  shall  treat  this  matter  as  though  I  had 
heard  no  pleadings  upon  either  side,  for  this  I 
take  to  be  the  true  attitude  of  a  judge  concerned 
with  justice  alone.  We  have,  then,  this  operative 
"and  ..."  this  decisive  word  "and."  '  Here 
His  Holiness  leaned  back  on  his  throne,  cast  his 
eyes  upwards  towards  the  rich  arabesques  of  the 
ceiling,  sighed  and  continued: 

"  'The  word  and  is  among  the  most  significant 
141 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

of  our  ancient,  glorious  language.  It  has  been 
used  upon  innumerable  occasions.  Our  industrial 
classes,  our  nobility  and  even  our  middle  classes, 
as  well  as  the  poor  in  their  humble  station,  are 
compelled  to  its  continual  expression.  It  is,  if 
I  may  so  express  myself,  part  of  the  heritage  of 
our  race.  He  would  indeed  be  poor  in  spirit,  and 
weak  in  his  allegiance  to  the  imperial  traditions 
of  this  island,'  continued  His  Holiness,  warming 
to  his  subject,  'did  he  not  appreciate  the  majesty, 
the  significance,  the  grandeur  upon  occasions,  the 
fuU  effect  and  indeed  the  awful  weight  of  this 
little  word,'  and  here  he  dropped  his  voice,  and 
'  "And  so  long  as  the  salt  tax  ..."  etc.  That  is 
the  point.  And  ...  I  trust  I  have  made  myself 
clear. ' 

''All  heads  nodded  in  unison,  while  a  song  in 
adoration  of  His  Holiness  was  sung  by  an  acolyte 
who  entered  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  (as 
is  customary  in  courts  of  law,  and  a  hidden  chorus, 
distant,  but  just  heard,  added  a  short  canticle  of 
praise.  His  Holiness  waited  for  the  conclusion  of 
these  ceremonies,  which  are  invariably  interpo- 
lated during  any  important  judgment,  and  then 
continued : 

"  *And  so  long,'  "What  is  the  significance  of 
that  word  "and"?  I  take  it  that  it  is  affirmative, 
negative,  couplative  and  restrictive ;  but  that  is — 
not  all.  I  think  it  is  also  constructive,  instructive, 
and  destructive.  It  is  only  by  using  it  in  all  these 
ways  that  we  can  fully  appreciate  its  prepon- 
derant significance  in  the  issue  before  us.'  Once 
more  all  heads  nodded  and  even  I  was  constrained 
to  follow  the  custom,  although,  in  my  ignorance, 

142 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

I  could  make  neither  head  nor  tail  of  the  learned 
argument.  The  lawyers  present  bore  a  look  of 
such  intense  absorption  that  one  would  have 
thought  their  lives  depended  on  what  was  to 
come. 

''  ^The  Plaintiff  in  reciting  the  clause,'  said  His 
Holiness  quite  suddenly,  'emphasized  a  very 
singular  phrase  ''for  ever  and  for  ever,"  and  also 
those  other  words,  "so  long  as  the  state  endures," 
but  I  noticed  a  curious  hesitation  upon  his  part 
when  he  came  to  this  word  and.' 

"Here  some  one  in  the  back  of  the  court 
yawned  in  so  audible  a  maimer  that  there  was  a 
sudden  interruption  signalling  an  ejection,  and 
I  learned  later  that  the  unfortunate  man  had 
perished  as  he  deserved. 

"  'I  appreciate  fully,'  continued  the  Judge, 
*that  my  decision  will,  subject  to  appeal,  deter- 
mine in  great  part  the  future  of  this  ancient  State. 
Since  we  are  destined  soon  to  acquire  and  admin- 
ister the  whole  world  it  may  be  said  that  my 
humble  remarks  upon  this  occasion  will  deflect  the 
history  of  the  human  race  itself.  No  one  can  be 
insensitive  to  such  a  responsibility.  My  duty  is 
clear.  The  word  "and/'  standing  as  it  does 
between  the  first  and  second  parts  of  the  phrase 
on  which  is  based  Plaintiff's  claim  under  the 
Charter,  clearly  determines  that  claim.  But  to 
determine  is  to  terminate.  The  Plaintiff  has 
therefore  no  rights  here,  in  the  sense  of  the  word 
"rights"  as  used  by  the  august  body  of  our 
Statute  and  Common  Law.  He  is  at  the  mercy  of 
the  Crown,  and  his  claim  is  disallowed.  He  may 
think  himself  lucky  that  I  have  not  taken  ad- 

143 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

vantage  of  my  full  powers  and  had  him  whipped 
at  the  cart's  tail  or  thrown  down  a  well.  Let 
record  be  made  and  all  adjudged  as  decided.* 
With  this  His  Holiness  majestically  rose,  granted 
a  benediction  to  the  kneeling  multitude,  and  was 
about  to  leave  the  Court  when  the  Pleader  Selim 
interrupted  with  the  words: 

''  'What  about  costs,  your  GodshipT 

*'  'With  the  Judgment,'  said  the  judge  wearily 
over  his  shoulder;  and  I  noticed  to  my  dismay 
ten  pens  busily  scribbling  and  wondered  what 
was  coming  next. 

"Indeed  I  was  weary  of  the  whole  affair  and 
desired  nothing  better  than  to  hide  my  humble 
head  in  my  poor  lodging  and  on  the  morrow  with 
what  was  left  of  my  poor  little  hoard — at  the 
most  400  dinars — to  leave  for  the  mainland,  and 
there  with  this  tiny  capital  attempt  to  reconstruct 
my  fortunes. 

'*It  was  not  to  be  as  I  imagined.  Even  as  I 
approached  the  door  of  the  Court  I  was  ap- 
proached by  the  Pleader  Selim,  who  repeated 
that  phrase  hitherto  meaningless,  'What  about 
costs!'  and  found  I  might  not  depart  from  the 
building  till  I  had  provided  350  dinars,  leaving 
me  with  exactly  fifty  to  face  the  world !  Luckily 
I  had  my  pouch  upon  me.  I  hurriedly  counted 
out  this  last  poor  remainder  of  my  wealth;  then, 
fearing  to  return  to  my  lodging  (the  rent  of  which 
I  could  no  longer  discharge)  I  paced  hopelessly 
along  the  quays  through  the  evening  and  on 
through  the  darkness,  until,  about  midnight,  I 
espied  a  master  mariner  about  to  board  his 
vessel. 

144 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

''  *For  what  sum,'  I  asked  him,  'will  you  take 
me  on  deck  to  the  mainland?' 

"  'It  is  a  hundred  dinars,'  he  said  roughly. 

' '  '  I  have  it  not, '  I  answered.  My  stomach  was 
already  clamouring  for  food.  *I  have  but  fifty 
dinars,  and  some  part  of  that  I  must  reserve  for 
my  nourishment  lest  I  perish  before  reaching 
land.' 

''  'Well,'  said  he  a  little  less  roughly  but  with 
no  humanity  in  his  tone,  'you  may  crawl  up  for- 
ward among  the  cordage  if  you  like  and  give  me 
forty-five  of  your  coins;  the  five  you  shall  keep 
to  feed  yourself  with  when  you  land.' 

"I  thanked  him  humbly  for  his  unexpected 
kindness.  I  tried  to  find  some  warmth  in  the 
chilly  night,  huddled  amid  coils  of  rope  on  the 
little  deck  forward.  At  dawn  the  last  of  the 
crew  came  aboard,  two  great  sails  were  hoisted 
and  we  passed  out  upon  the  sea. 

"Before  the  sun  was  high  we  had  dropped  over 
the  horizon,  and  left  behind  us  the  palaces  of  the 
land  where  I  had  thought  to  find  security  and 
repose.  There  I  was,  I  who  had  so  lately  had  the 
world  at  my  disposal,  a  beggar,  hopeless  for  the 
coming  days,  and  wondering  where  on  my  land- 
ing I  should  find  food  to  keep  me  living  for  a 
week  together." 

As  Mahmoud  was  concluding  there  rose  a  loud 
wail,  piercing  and  prolonged  which  startled  him 
and  all  the  file  of  boys  aligned  cross-legged  before 
him  upon  the  floor.  It  proceeded  from  the 
youngest  of  the  nephews. 

"What  is  it,  my  little  fellow!"  said  his  uncle 
in  real  alarm. 

145 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

*  *  Ah !  Ah ! ' '  sobbed  out  the  poor  infant.  '  'Lost ! 
lost!  All  lost!  All  that  lovely  money  lost!  I 
cannot  bear  it,  uncle.  I  cannot  bear  it ! "  and  he 
burst  into  floods  of  tears. 

"For  heaven's  sake,"  said  the  old  man,  rolling 
upon  his  seat  in  his  concern  for  the  child,  "do 
not  take  on  so!  There  is  no  cause  for  such  a 
bother.  You  make  too  much  of  it.  It  is  but  part 
of  a  tale.  Do  you  not  see  how  I  have  been  restored 
to  great  fortune?  Are  you  not  in  this  palace  of 
mine  with  all  my  slaves  around  you  f  and  splendid 
hangings  upon  the  wall?  Come,  look  about  you 
and  do  not  mix  up  these  words  of  the  past  with 
real  things  that  you  can  touch  and  see  to-day," 

The  little  boy  tried  to  stifle  his  sobs,  but  they 
returned  with  increased  violence. 

"Oh,  uncle,  to  think  that  you,  who  had  been 
so  rich,  should  become  so  poor;  to  think  that 
those  who  gain  great  wealth  camiot  keep  it  for 
ever !  Consider  all  your  wealth !  Oh,  it  is  terrible, 
the  death  and  destruction  of  it !"  Throwing  him- 
self do^m  upon  the  marble  floor  he  buried  his  face 
in  his  crossed  arms  and  kicked  either  foot  alter- 
nately in  the  air,  in  the  violent  paroxysm  of  his 
grief. 

His  uncle  was  so  moved  that  he  knelt  beside  the 
child  to  soothe  him. 

' '  Pray,  pray,  restrain  yourself, ' '  he  said.  * '  You 
will  do  yourself  some  hurt.  I  admire  you,  my 
dear  boy,  I  perceive  your  singular  gifts.  More 
than  all  your  elder  brothers  do  you  seem  to  know 
that  which  the  young  should  seek  in  life.  You 
understand  indeed  what  others  do  not  always, 
all  that  money  means.    But  it  is  terrible  to  see 

146 


AL-WUKALA,  OR  THE  LAWYERS 

one  of  your  age  suffering  such  agonies  from  a 
mere  recital  of  its  loss.  Indeed,  I  am  moved  to 
console  you,"  here  the  old  man  was  tempted  to 
put  his  hand  into  his  pouch  and  offer  some  small 
coin  in  consolation  to  the  child,  but  he  recollected 
himself  and  continued,  *'to  console  you  with  a 
pleasant  draft  of  cold  water,  which  I  am  afraid 
I  forgot  to  tender  to  you  and  your  brothers  when 
I  last  had  the  pleasure  of  your  attendance." 

The  little  fellow  sat  up,  still  sobbing,  but 
attempting  to  dry  his  eyes  and  moaning  from 
time  to  time  **A11  that  money!  All  that  lovely 
money ! '  * 

Pure,  cold,  crystal  water  was  brought  round 
and  gratefully  sipped  by  the  boys,  who  when 
they  had  thus  refreshed  themselves  at  their 
uncle's  expense,  thanked  him  warmly  and  disap- 
peared with  reverence  from  his  presence  just  at 
the  moment  when  the  voice  of  the  Muezzin  was 
heard  from  a  neighbouring  minaret  boring  the 
Faithful  to  tears  with  its  repeated  call  to  prayer. 


f^^^\ 


AL-GHANA3IAT 

That  is: 
The  Sheep 


CHAPTER  Vn 

ENTITLED  AL-OHANAMAT,   OR  THE  SHEEP 

AS  Mahmond's  nephews  filed  in  just  after  the 
hour  of  public  executions  to  hear  the  con- 
tinuation of  their  uncle's  absorbing  tale,  they 
wore  an  expression  different  from  that  which  he 
had  observed  on  their  faces  during  so  many  days. 
The  thought  of  this  great  man  subjected  to  mis- 
fortune like  any  other,  and  passing  through  the 
trials  of  actual  poverty,  had  shocked  their  yoxmg 
and  sensitive  souls.  They  had  been  trained 
indeed,  even  in  their  short  experience,  to  the 
idea  that  they  and  their  poor  father  must  suffer 
contempt;  but  that  the  head  of  the  family  should 
ever  have  passed  through  such  things  shook  their 
faith  in  the  world. 

The  aged  merchant,  a  little  concerned  with 
their  appearance,  warned  them  that  what  he  had 
to  tell  them,  not  only  upon  that  day  but  later  too, 
would  be  concerned  with  no  happy  relation. 
''These  were,  my  children,''  said  he,  "the  days  of 
my  dereliction.  They  served  to  humble  me,  and 
often  when  I  have  occasion  to  turn  a  poor  man 
out  of  his  house  or  to  prosecute  some  starving 
widow  for  debt,  or  to  see  to  the  imprisonment 
of  one  who  has  failed  to  keep  some  contract  I 
may  have  imposed  upon  him,  I  sigh  and  chasten 
myself  with  the  thought  that  I  myself  might  (but 
for  the  infinite  goodness  of  my  God)  have  been 

151 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

in  his  or  her  position.  Though,  frankly,  I  cannot 
say,  considering  the  ineptitude  of  such  people, 
that  I  can  ever  imagine  them  in  mine."  Having 
so  prefaced  what  he  had  to  tell,  the  merchant 
proceeded : 

*'I  sat  down,  then,  in  the  bows  of  the  boat  on 
that  miserable  night  watching  for  land.  I  tried 
to  make  some  plan,  as  is  the  habit  of  men  of  my 
temper,  but  none  would  form  itself  in  my  fatigued 
and  unhappy  brain.  One  asset  I  had  and  one  only 
(over  and  above  the  few  coins  which  could  hardly 
last  me  for  more  than  a  day)  and  that  was  the 
dress  I  wore;  for  I  still  carried  the  fine  clothes 
of  my  former  rank.  I  had  worn  them  on  the 
occasion  of  the  trial ;  indeed,  I  now  had  no  others. 

"This  accoutrement  and  a  certain  proud  man- 
ner of  bearing  which  I  had  acquired  during  the 
past  years  of  my  affluence  saved  me  from  insult ; 
though  I  am  not  sure  that  if  I  had  been  asked 
to  carry  some  package  for  the  wealthier  of  the 
passengers  I  should  not  have  accepted  the  oppor- 
tunity of  rer.ard.  I  spent  about  half  my  poor 
handful  of  cash  on  a  meal;  with  the  remainder 
I  purchased  provision  for  the  evening. 

**The  town  in  which  I  found  myself  was — 
happily — too  busy  and  populous  a  mart  to  pay 
attention  to  a  chance  wanderer.  Lacking  all 
direction,  trusting  as  I  had  trusted  long  ago  to 
fortune  or  rather  to  Providence,  I  betook  myself 
after  the  worst  heat  of  the  day  had  passed,  to  a 
chance  track  which  led  first  along  the  river  side, 
above  the  harbour,  and  afterwards  climbed 
through  the  gardens  of  the  city  to  the  hills  beyond. 

**The  countryside  was  here  of  a  nature  more 
152 


AL-GEANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

fertile  than  the  countries  through  which  I  had 
hitherto  passed.  The  dense  trees  of  the  woods 
made  a  grateful  shade  for  me  in  that  silent  after- 
noon, and  when  I  had  passed  beyond  these  on  my 
upward  journey  I  came  to  a  great  rolling  land  of 
sparse  grass,  feed  for  cattle. 

"It  was  hired  out,  it  would  seem,  to  graziers; 
for  I  saw  some  little  way  off  standing  in  the 
attitude  of  a  shepherd  and  holding  his  bent  staff 
beside  his  vigorous  old  frame,  a  very  remarkable 
figure.  I  approached  him  without  any  set  idea 
of  what  my  adventure  might  lead  to.  I  only 
knew  that  things  could  not  be  worse.  Perhaps 
I  had  somewhere  in  my  mind  a  guess,  half -formed, 
that  I  could  be  of  some  service  at  some  small 
wage.  At  any  rate  I  accosted  him.  I  have 
seldom  seen  an  expression  more  haughty  and 
vigorous  and  marvelled  that  it  should  be  that  of 
a  hired  man.  He  was  perhaps  sixty  years  of  age 
with  a  strong  bearing,  eyes  luminous  and  almost 
fierce,  and  a  face  in  outline  that  of  a  hawk,  or 
better,  that  of  an  eagle.  And  as  he  stood  there  he 
watched,  grazing  before  him,  a  great  flock  of 
sheep,  well  fed,  and  fat ;  of  a  high  breed,  excellent 
to  behold.  There  were  at  least  a  thousand  of 
these  and  it  would  seem  that  the  religion  of  this 
part  (for  they  also  were  true  believers)  did  not 
forbid  the  use  of  bells.  For  I  heard  a  multi- 
tudinous tinkling  come  up  from  the  flock  as  it 
moved.  Very  far  away  the  plateau  made  an  edge 
against  the  sky,  and  between  that  horizon  and  the 
summit  to  which  I  had  reached,  folds,  with  water 
pools  concealed  in  them,  diversified  the  great 
sweep.    But  there  were  no  trees.    All  was  bare 

153 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

and  majestic  under  the  sky  as  the  light  melted 
towards  evening. 

' '  The  shepherd  returned  my  salutation,  accepted 
my  offer  to  share  the  very  scanty  food  which  I  had 
purchased  and  so  sat  down  before  me  on  the 
ground  to  eat. 

"As  we  ate  we  grew  acquainted.  I  told  him 
frankly  enough  of  my  misfortune,  though  not  in 
detail.  *I  was,*  said  I,  'only  the  day  before  yes- 
terday a  rich  man.  To-day  I  am  what  you  see, 
and  my  last  piece  of  silver  is  gone.'  He  looked 
at  me  gravely  and  said  that  there  was  One  Who 
gave  and  Who  took  away.  His  Name  be  exalted. 
*  These  sheep,  for  instance,'  said  he,  'are  the  prop- 
erty of  a  man  contemptible  in  every  way,  foolish, 
irascible,  a  bad  master  and  (one  would  have 
thought)  an  unwise  merchant.  Yet  he  prospers 
while  I,  the  shepherd,  remain  ujjon  a  hire  too 
small  to  permit  me  to  save.  And  so  it  has  been 
for  years!' 

*'  'I  have  not,'  added  he  a  little  bitterly,  'the 
faculties  for  that  sort  of  life  which  my  master 
pursues.  At  any  rate  I  am  quite  certain  of  this : 
that  by  any  common  judgment  of  men  he  is  the 
inferior  and  I  the  lord.  Yet  here  I  am !  .  .  .  The 
world  deals  harshly  by  poor  men.'  He  looked  at 
me  to  see  if  the  words  sank  in. 

"As  he  thus  spoke  (his  sadness  seemed  to  re- 
lieve my  own  with  a  sense  of  our  common  depen- 
dence) the  sun  now  near  the  horizon  warned  us 
of  prayer  and  I  was  glad  indeed  to  see  that  this 
new  chance  companion  was  as  much  alive  as  I 
to  the  duties  we  owe  our  Maker.  He  fell  upon  his 
knees  and  bowed  to  the  evening  prayer  as  I  did 

154 


AL-GEANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

beside  him,  and  for  some  moments,  as  we  recited 
the  sacred  formula,  all  worldly  thoughts  passed 
from  my  mind  and  I  think  from  his  also.  We 
rose  at  the  same  moment  from  this  exercise,  each 
filled,  I  felt,  with  brotherhood.  I  was  the  first 
to  break  the  consecrated  silence. 

**I  did  so  by  asking  him  whether  he  had  never 
thought,  in  the  course  of  his  long  years  as  a 
shepherd,  how  money  might  be  made  by  the 
stealing  of  his  master's  sheep,  or  by  some 
trick  mth  them?  Whether  he  had  never 
had  the  opportunity  to  blackmail  his  mas- 
ter, or  in  some  other  way  to  increase  his 
fortune?  For  it  seemed  intolerable  to  me  that  a 
man  such  as  he  described  his  employer  to  be, 
should  be  wealthy  while  he  were  poor.  He 
shrugged  his  shoulders  as  though  in  despair  and 
answered  simply : 

*'  *In  the  distant  past  I  often  attempted  such 
things ;  but  invariably  have  I  failed.  Indeed,  the 
master  graziers  of  this  part  know  me  well  for  one 
who  has  attempted  at  their  expense  every  kind  of 
bold  chance,  and  I  would  never  have  employment 
from  them  were  it  not  for  my  skill  in  lambing  and 
in  every  other  part  of  the  trade.  As  it  is  they 
watch  me  rigorously.  Their  spies  are  everywhere. 
I  could  not,  I  fear,  malce  one  dinar  by  any  one  of 
the  methods  you  suggest.  I  have  in  my  time  tried 
them  all.  I  have  forged  receipts;  I  have  sold 
sheep  which  afterwards  I  entered  as  dead  from 
accident ;  I  have  falsified  the  returns  of  the  lamb- 
ing; I  have  sometimes  raised  a  sum  of  money 
upon  the  flock  under  pretence  that  it  was  my  own. 
My  only  reward  has  been  fine  and  imprisonment 

155 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

and  cruel  torture.  But  the  truth  is  that  I  have 
not  the  faculties  of  the  merchant.  They  are,  I 
take  it,  granted  to  some  and  withheld  from  others. 
For  my  part  I  have  despaired  of  their  exercise 
and  shall  never  turn  to  them  again. ' 

**His  words  filled  me  at  once  with  pity  and  with 
hope,  and  (since  ingenuity  is  never  long  absent 
from  men  of  my  temper)  a  scheme  suddenly 
appeared. 

''  'Why  should  not  we,*  I  said,  after  I  had 
gathered  wood  and  lit  a  fire  to  meet  the  approach- 
ing darkness,  *  enter  into  partnership  f  I  think  I 
may  say  without  boasting  that  I  possess  in  a 
singular  degree  those  faculties  which  you  say  you 
lack.  God  made  me  in  every  part  for  a  merchant. 
I  can  conceal^  distort,  forestall,  outdo,  bully, 
terrify  and  even  boldly  snatch,  far  better  than  any 
other  man  I  have  come  across.  Only  once  in  my 
life  have  I  fallen  into  the  weakness  of  trusting 
others  and  as  you  see  I  have  paid  bitterly  for  that 
weakness.'  So  I  spoke,  not  noticing  that  I  was 
yet  again  committing  the  same  error  in  suggesting 
partnership  to  a  mere  stranger.  But  in  truth 
Allah  had  blinded  me ;  purposing  to  make  me  taste 
misfortune  to  the  full  that  I  might  the  better 
adore  His  later  beneficence. 

**  *A11  these  talents  I  have  in  abundance  and 
more  also,'  I  continued,  'for  God  has  been  very 
good  to  me.  You,  on  the  other  hand,  have  what  I 
lack ;  that  is,  a  knowledge  of  the  towns  round  about 
and  of  their  markets ;  of  the  value  of  sheep ;  of  the 
system  which  has  been  organized  for  the  catching 
of  ingenious  men ;  and  of  how  that  system  may  be 
avoided.    Between  us,  then,  we  have  all  the  things 

156 


AL-GUANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

needed  fbr  our  success.  Come,  let  us  determine 
with  the  very  next  breaking  of  the  light  to  try  our 
fortunes  together.' 

''After  I  had  thus  spoken  the  shepherd  looked  at 
me  long  and  anxiously  over  the  fire,  the  reflection 
of  which  shone  in  his  piercing  eyes.  I  wondered 
whether  he  were  wavering  and  to  what  conclusion 
he  would  come.    At  last  he  spoke,  slowly  enough. 

"  *I  am  not  willing,*  said  he,  'I  am  not  willing 
.  .  .  but  I  will  take  the  risk.  The  worst  that  can 
come  to  me  I  have  already  suffered.  At  the  best' 
— and  he  pointed  towards  the  vast  flock  of  sheep 
now  a  mass  of  glimmering  white  as  they  lay  in  the 
darkness — 'at  the  best  we  should  each  acquire 
provision  for  many  years.' 

"  'Oh!  fool!'  thought  I,  'provision  for  many 
years!  Does  he  not  know  how  money  breeds?' 
But  in  open  speech  I  said,  'Yes,  we  will  divide  the 
spoil  and  go  our  ways.  I  with  my  share  and  you 
with  yours. ' 

"  'Precisely,'  he  answered  with  a  curious  smile 
which,  for  the  moment,  intrigued  me.  'You  with 
your  share  and  I  with  mine.' 

"As  the  night  passed  I  entertained  him  with 
the  details  of  my  plan.  Since  it  was  I  who  had 
to  do  the  work  while  he  would  have  to  command 
(from  his  knowledge  of  the  trade),  I  proposed 
that  he  should  be  the  master  and  I  the  man.  To 
all  this  he  nodded  assent.  He  was  also  prepared 
to  meet  me  in  my  suggestion  that  he  should  put 
on  my  fine  clothes  and  I  his  rags,  the  better  to 
carry  out  our  parts.  'This  will,'  said  I,  'seem 
strange  while  you  are  driving  the  sheep,  but  as 
we  approach  the  town  and  market  to  which  you 

157 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

shall  direct  me,  if  there  be  one  nearby,  I  will 
attempt  to  take  over  your  task  and  under  your 
direction  I  may  at  least  complete  it  by  bringing 
the  flock  to  the  place  of  sale.  I  will  speak  of 
you  as  the  owner.  My  fine  dress  which  you  wear 
will  carry  out  that  deception  and  deceive  all  into 
thinking  that  it  is  an  honest  transaction.  The  sum 
upon  which  we  shall  agree  with  the  purchaser  shall 
be  paid  to  you;  and  not  until  the  whole  transac- 
tion is  over,  and  we  well  out  of  the  gate,  shall  I 
ask  for  the  division,  which  I  take  it  should  be  in 
equal  halves.' 

* '  To  all  this  also  he  agreed ;  only  asking  whether 
I  would  not  like  (as,  after  all,  I  had  only  just  met 
him)  to  have  the  money  paid  to  both? 

"I  urged  him  to  keep  to  my  plan.  His  receiv- 
ing the  money  as  master  would  seem  natural  and 
excite  no  surprise.  We  could  divide  in  private  at 
our  leisure. 

**To  my  surprise  he  made  me  a  low  bow  at  this ; 
but  I  put  it  down  to  custom,  and  went  on  with 
my  plan. 

**For  the  sake  of  a  rough  calculation  I  asked 
him  what  sheep  were  fetching,  and  he  said  that 
in  the  neighbouring  Ksar,  which  might  be  called 
a  straggling  market  town  or  a  large  village,  there 
was  to  be  held,  it  so  happened,  the  very  next  day 
a  sheep  market,  where  we  must  find  ourselves 
shortly  after  sunrise.  It  was  distant  less  than  an 
hour  across  the  uplands.  The  purchasers  came 
from  all  parts,  and  as  the  bidding  was  likely  to 
be  brisk  we  might  expect  for  the  flock  as  a  whole 
not  less  than  1,800  or  even  2,000  pieces  of  gold. 
As  he  spoke  I  already  felt  that  capital  in  my 

158 


AL-GHANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

possession,  or,  at  least,  half  of  it,  and  I  thought 
things  would  go  hard  with  me  if  after  our  first 
successful  transaction  I  could  not  carry  on  my 
partner  to  another  and  another,  until  at  last  I 
had  manipulated  him  out  of  his  share  also. 

*'We  discussed  all  further  details  through  the 
night,  rehearsed  our  parts,  and  had  the  whole  per- 
fect when  the  first  glimmer  of  dawn  showed  in  the 
East  beyond  the  edges  of  the  hills  beneath  a  wan- 
ing moon. 

''We  rose;  the  flock  was  gathered;  our  gar- 
ments exchanged ;  and  I  could  not  but  admire  my 
companion,  now  that  he  was  dressed  in  what 
seemed  a  manner  so  much  more  suitable  to  his  car- 
riage and  features.  He  looked  a  very  Master,  a 
prosperous  lord  of  men,  and  I  congratulated  him 
upon  the  effect,  which,  I  assured  him  would  allay 
all  suspicion,  since  all  would  take  him  for  a  very 
great  lord  indeed. 

"Again  he  smiled  that  intriguing  smile  and 
bowed  too  low.  But  I  was  a  little  nettled  at  his 
affecting  to  play  the  part  thoroughly  by  address- 
ing me  in  sharp  tones  and  with  the  air  of  a 
superior.  I,  for  my  part,  shivered  in  the  dawn  in 
the  miserable  rags  which  I  had  taken  from  him, 
and  holding  his  staff  awkwardly  enough  tramped 
on  in  my  character  of  the  servant. 

"Soon,  just  as  the  sun  rose,  the  dusty  hedges 
and  the  cracked  yellowish  walls  of  the  Ksar  ap- 
peared in  a  hollow  through  which  ran  a  muddy 
stream.  From  the  enclosures  within,  rose  the 
bleating  of  many  sheep  which  had  been  driven  to 
the  same  market,  and  we  observed  upon  the  folds 

159 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

of  land  beyond  several  flocks  arriving  in  converg- 
ence upon  the  same  place. 

* '  My  companion  told  me  while  we  were  still  out 
of  earshot  that  an  early  arrival  would  allow  us 
to  watch  the  movement  of  prices  and,  what  was  of 
more  value  to  us,  might  enable  us  to  get  away 
before  opportunity  for  pursuit  should  arise. 

''He  gave  me  my  last  instructions,  recalling 
all  that  we  had  arranged  in  the  night.  'I,  for  my 
part, '  said  he,  as  the  first  sheep  of  our  great  flock 
entered  the  narrow  streets,  'shall  fall  behind  you 
and  take  my  way  to  the  Pavement  outside  the 
Mosque  reserved  for  the  principal  merchants,  and 
there  with  all  due  dignity  and  honour  await  your 
report,  while  you  go  forward  to  the  market  place 
beyond  the  Mosque:  when  you  have  got  a  pur- 
chaser, come  back  and  find  me.  For  such  is  here 
the  custom.  It  is  the  servant  who  negotiates,  the 
master  who  confirms.  The  servant  leads  the  pur- 
chaser to  his  superior,  and  that  superior  takes  the 
purchase  money.  Do  you,  for  your  part,  cast 
around  until  you  hear  the  conversation  of  the  bid- 
ders and  see  that  you  sell  at  a  price  not  less  than 
2,000  pieces  of  gold.'  He  then  gave  the  number 
of  our  flock  all  told,  which  he  made  me  repeat 
to  a  single  point  in  ewes  and  in  lambs.  When  he 
had  said  this  he  fell  behind  me  and  went  up  a 
street  which  led  to  the  Mosque ;  while  I,  in  some 
doubt  of  my  capacity,  but  putting  what  bold  face 
I  could  upon  the  matter,  went  straight  before  me 
along  the  broad  way  toward  the  market  beyond. 
There  I  drove  all  the  flock  into  a  great  pen,  of 
which  certain  were  reserved  for  the  vendors  in 
that  mart. 

160 


AL-GEANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

"The  market  soon  filled  with  buyers.  They 
came  in  little  groups,  prodding  the  sheep,  feeling 
the  wool  and  sometimes  looking  into  their  mouths ; 
and  the  flock  which  I  had  the  honour  of  com- 
manding was  the  most  admired  of  all.  I  was 
asked  by  several  if  I  would  not  sell  singly;  but 
estimating  the  eagerness  of  the  buyers  I  shook 
my  head  and  said  I  could  not  sell  for  less  than  a 
reserve  sum  of  two  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  nor 
could  I  break  the  flock.  I  added  that  it  was  a  pity 
to  do  so  as  it  was  a  pedigree  flock,  every  single 
animal  being  descended  from  the  famous  ram 
which  had  spoken  in  a  human  voice  to  the  Holy 
Hassan  three  hundred  years  ago  by  order  of  the 
Most  High.  I  admitted  that  this  origin  made  little 
difference  to  the  mutton,  but  I  pointed  out  its 
extraordinary  effect  upon  the  wool. 

"With  that  the  bidding  began  and  I  noticed  with 
great  pleasure  one  tall,  dark,  very  thin  man  among 
the  rest,  slow  of  gesture,  fixed  of  eye,  who  never 
took  his  looks  from  my  face  and  who,  just  after 
each  last  bid,  would  raise  it  by  fifty  pieces  of  gold. 
He  was  not  to  be  beaten.  One  competitor  after 
another  dropped  out.  At  last  when  the  magnifi- 
cent sum  of  2,832  pieces  of  gold  had  been  bid  by 
the  mysterious  stranger  I  clapped  my  hands 
together  as  the  signal  and  used  the  formula 
*  Heaven  has  decided. '  The  stranger  approached 
me,  drawing  from  his  girdle  a  reed  and  a  small 
horn  of  ink.  I  thought  we  were  about  to  sign 
the  transfer — ^it  seemed  to  me  an  odd  formality, 
seeing  that  he  had  but  to  drive  the  beasts  away 
and  leave  me  the  bag  of  gold.  I  was  undeceived. 
He  presented  me  no  charter  of  transfer,  no  deed, 

161 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

but  a  strange  piece  of  writing  such  as  I  had  not 
seen  before  and  asked  me  for  its  counterpart.  I 
was  startled  and  a  little  confused.  'What  coun- 
terpart?' said  L 

*'  'Do  you  mean,'  said  he  in  clear  tones,  so  that 
the  curious  bystanders  should  overhear,  'that  you 
have  no  permit?' 

"At  this  the  audience  tittered,  and  others,  scent- 
ing amusement,  crowded  round  to  gaze  and  follow. 

'*  'Have  you  no  permit?'  he  repeated  severely. 

"I  felt  myself  growing  hot  and  confused  under 
the  laughter  which  followed;  and  even  alarmed 
when  I  heard  one  buyer  say  contemptuously  to  his 
neighbour, '  They  've  caught  another  of  'em ! ' 

"I  confessed  that  I  had  never  even  heard  of 
such  an  instrument. 

"  'Follow  me,'  said  the  stranger  grimly,  and 
whether  from  curiosity  or  from  a  conviction  grow- 
ing in  me  that  he  had  authority,  I  followed 
humbly  enough,  leaving  my  large  Iflock  bleating  in 
its  pen. 

"The  stranger  (for  he  now  showed  that  he  had 
upon  him  the  keys  of  the  market)  locked  the  gate 
of  the  pen,  appointed  (another  proof  of  his 
authority)  a  slave  to  stand  by  and  see  that  no  one 
interfered  with  the  property  I  had  transferred  to 
him,  and  motioned  to  others  to  fall  in  behind  us. 
He  then  led  me  away,  and  I  was  more  concerned 
than  ever  to  notice  the  strange  smiles  of  those  who 
saw  the  little  procession  which  we  made,  he  going 
first  with  his  great  staff,  I  treading  behind. 

"He  led  me  to  where  the  Sheiks  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, the  principal  sheep  owners  and  magis- 
trates, sat  in  solemnity  before  the  Mosque;   an 

162 


AL-GHANAMAT,  OE  THE  SHEEP 

awe-inspiring  company.  Grand  and  splendid 
among  them,  in  their  very  centre  and  clearly  the 
most  revered  of  them  all,  I  perceived  my  late  com- 
panion the  shepherd,  all  dressed  up  in  my  own 
fine  clothes,  but  having  now  added  ornaments  re- 
served for  him,  and  looking  for  all  the  world  like 
the  king  of  the  place. 

**  At  our  approach  he  turned  an  indignant  glance 
upon  me,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  addressing  the 
stranger  who  had  captured  me,  cried  in  a  terrible 
voice : 

*'  'Officer!  Do  you  bring  me  yet  another  of 
these  evil-doers  ?  "WTiose  sheep  had  he  driven  off? 
And  is  it  a  case  of  a  forged  permit  or  what!' 

'I  already  saw  how  the  land  lay,  and  I  quailed 
to  think  what  was  before  me.  The  owners — ^I 
rightly  guessed — had  suffered  from  sheep  steal- 
ing ;  had  established  permits,  signed  by  them,  in 
order  to  check  fraudulent  sales;  had  plotted  to 
catch  the  thief  culprits,  and  this  perfidious  man 
had  disguised  himself  as  a  servant  in  order  to 
catch  such,  and  had  caught  me.  The  officer  who 
had  arrested  me  spoke : 

**  'My  lord,'  he  said,  'we  have  caught  this 
ruffian' — pointing  to  me — '  selling  your  sheep  with- 
out any  permit  at  all !  He  must  have  driven  them 
through  the  night.  By  the  law  which  your  Council 
proclaimed  last  year,  just  after  the  Fast,  his  pun- 
ishment lies  in  your  hands.  The  owner  has  the 
determination  of  it.' 

"To  my  astonishment  and  horror  my  former 
companion  looked  on  me  with  a  dreadful  face  of 
scorn  and  said:  'Tell  me  all,  that  I  may  appor- 
tion the  punishment  due  to  him.    I  had  had  him 

163 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

in  my  employ  for  but  a  short  time.    I  mistrusted 
him  from  the  first.    Tell  me  all ! ' 

'*  ^I  have  so  found  him  selling  your  lordship's 
sheep.  They  fetched  nearly  3,000  pieces  of  gold, ' 
answered  the  officer  grimly.  'He  shall  make  an 
sxcellent  example  for,  my  lord,  he  is  the  first 
whom  we  have  caught  in  this  market  trying  to 
sell  without  a  permit.  There  can  be  no  doubt  (I 
have  witnesses  to  it)  that  he  proposed  to  take  the 
purchase  money  and  (perhaps  with  some  accom- 
plice whom  I  have  not  traced)  to  fly.' 

' '  On  hearing  this  my  former  companion,  clench- 
ing his  hands  and  showing  as  intense  a  passion  as 
his  dignity  would  allow — a  magnificent  figure  in 
those  clothes  of  his  (my  clothes) — cried,  'What? 
Is  it  possible  that  one  whom  I  have  nourished, 
tended  and  befriended  should  be  guilty  of  so  abom- 
inable a  crime?  How  wise  we  were  to  make  the 
regulation !  How  excellent  and  zealous  are  you  in 
your  office  thus  to  have  found  the  first  culprit  who 
attempted  theft  in  this  place !  How  admirable  that 
he  should  be  brought  to  justice  before  he  could 
consummate  his  crime !  How  marked  is  the  work 
of  Providence ' — here  he  lifted  his  eyes  to  heaven — 
'which  has  given  him  up  to  us  for  an  example! 
Come,  let  us  cut  off  his  head  with  a  blunt  saw. ' 

"The  officer  who  had  thus  traitorously  caught 
me  bowed  low  and  said,  '  Hearing  and  obedience ! 
But  if  my  lord  will  take  council  I  would  speak. ' 

"  'What  is  it  you  would  say?'  said  my  com- 
panion, who  resumed  his  seat  but  slowly  and 
seemed  displeased  at  the  interruption. 

"  'My  lord,'  said  the  official,  'I  suggest  that  if 
you  cut  off  his  miserable  head  with  a  blunt  saw, 

164 


AL-GBANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

though  doubtless  it  would  have  a  good  effect  for 
the  moment  and  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of 
those  here  who  see  it,  so  that  never  more  shall 
sheep  be  stolen  from  this  market,  nor  ever  more 
shall  we  suffer  as  we  have  suffered  in  the  past, 
yet  it  would  be  of  slighter  effect  than  what  I  shall 
propose.  For  to  hear  of  a  man's  execution  is  one 
thing,  but  to  hear  his  own  relation  of  his  suffer- 
ings is  another.  I  propose  therefore  that  he  shall 
be  beaten  at  great  length  but  not  to  the  point  of 
death ;  on  the  approaching  of  that  consummation 
let  him  be  released  to  crawl  away  and  tell  his 
story  throughout  our  countries  to  whoever  will 
listen.  Such  an  example  would  be  of  far  more 
service  to  the  owners,  my  lord,  than  his  death 
would  be,  and  I  promise  that  he  shall  be  beaten  in 
the  most  expert  manner  to  the  advantage  of  all 
posterity. ' 

"Even  as  he  advised  so  was  it  done.  I  was 
given  the  bastinado  without  mercy  until  I  thought 
I  should  have  expired,  and  then  under  every  cir- 
cumstance of  ignominy  I  was  turned  loose  with  a 
week's  provision  of  coarse  meal  into  that  deserted 
country,  to  spread  terror  among  the  servants  of 
the  wealthy  owners  and  by  my  example  to  deter 
them  from  ever  attempting  to  play  tricks  with 
their  masters'  goods. 

'*I,  who  from  my  youth  have  abhorred  the  ill 
use  of  servants,  I  who  had  founded  once  so  great 
a  fortune  and  proved  so  kind  a  master  to  hosts 
of  dependents,  I  in  my  ingenuousness  and  simple 
heart  could  not  have  believed  that  such  trickery 
existed  in  the  world !    I  had  been  wholly  duped ! 

**As  I  limped  from  village  to  village,  begging 
165 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

my  bread,  I  heard  the  whole  story  and  it  exactly 
confirmed  the  conclusion  I  had  reached  when  I 
first  stood  trembling  before  the  Sheiks  at  the 
Mosque. 

''The  shepherd  in  his  poor  clothes  was  the  rich- 
est sheep  owner  in  the  country.  He  and  his  fellow 
lords  had  for  some  years  past  suffered  from  sur- 
reptitious sales,  they  had  appointed  officers  to 
watch  the  markets  and  even  so  had  not  always 
been  able  to  recover  the  purchase  money  from 
their  agents.  They  had  therefore — as  I  guessed — 
instituted  a  system  of  Permits  so  that  no  man 
could  sell  in  the  market  without  their  signed 
licences  and  so  that  each  man  so  selling  could  be 
detected  as  a  thief  by  the  officers  of  the  markets. 
But  how  should  I,  a  poor  stranger  from  over-sea, 
know  anything  of  this?  The  blackness  of  the 
treason  wounded  me  even  more  than  the  sufferings 
of  my  bastinado.  I  almost  lost  my  faith  in  man ; 
by  the  Everlasting  Mercy  I  did  not  lose  my  faith 
in  Heaven !  .  .  .  Nothing,  my  boys, ' '  said  the  old 
man,  his  voice  trembling,  as  he  remembered  this 
terrible  passage  of  the  past,  "nothing  but  Reli- 
gion supported  me  during  the  fearful  days  that 
followed.  I  think  I  can  say  with  humility  that  one 
less  founded  in  a  firm  reliance  upon  his  Maker 
would  have  grown  embittered.  I  might  have 
turned  into  one  of  those  useless  people  who,  as 
the  result  of  misfortune,  become  railers,  nourish- 
ing a  perpetual  quarrel  against  mankind.  But 
our  Holy  Religion  stood  me  in  good  stead,  and  as 
my  wounds  healed  and  as  my  wanderings  led  me 
further  from  the  scene  of  my  torture  I  recovered 
so  much  of  my  spirits  as  once  more  to  attempt 

166 


AL-GHANAMAT,  OR  THE  SHEEP 

what  might  have  seemed  impossible ;  I  faced  the 
world  again.  It  would  seem  that  those  for  whom 
Heaven  has  high  designs,  those  for  whom,  like 
myself,  it  intends  the  highest  positions  among 
men,  must  in  the  divine  scheme  pass  first  through 
the  fire  and  the  ordeal.  Happy  the  men  who 
(like  myself)  profit  by  such  visitations  and  retain 
unclouded  their  childlike  trust  in  God.'* 

''Amen,"  murmured  the  eldest  of  the  nephews. 

"What  was  that  you  said?"  cried  Mahmoud 
sharply? 

''I  said  'Amen,'  Uncle,"  answered  the  lad  in 
humble  tones.    His  uncle  scanned  him  narrowly. 

"Well,"  he  muttered,  "I  suppose  you  are  too 
much  of  a  fool  to  have  meant  it  ill.  .  .  . " 

At  this  the  strident  nasals  of  the  Muezzin  sud- 
denly shrieked  from  the  neighbouring  minaret 
and  the  young  lads  with  unaccustomed  rapidity 
vacated  the  great  merchant's  apartment. 


AL-BUSTAN 


That  is : 
The  Orohaed 


CHAPTER  VIII 

ENTITLED  AL-BU8TAN,  OR  THE   ORCHARD 

WHEN  Mahmoud's  nephews  reappeared  be- 
fore him  at  the  hour  of  public  executions 
it  was  in  a  certain  weariness  of  spirit;  for 
though  they  knew  that  the  fortunes  of  their  uncle 
must  subsequently  be  recovered  in  the  narrative 
(since  there  he  was  before  them,  rolling,  or,  as  the 
phrase  went  in  Bagdad,  ''dripping"  with  it)  yet 
the  blows  of  fate  had  fallen  upon  him  with  such 
violence  in  the  recent  tale  that  something  of  his 
then  despair  had  entered  their  own  souls.  They 
sat  down  therefore  with  hanging  heads  to  listen, 
as  they  feared,  to  little  better  than  the  further 
advance  of  intolerable  things. 

The  old  man  began  in  a  subdued  voice  of  lament- 
able recollection : 

**I  wandered  on  through  the  bare  uplands,  miser- 
able, weak,  penniless  and  in  rags.  So  far  had  my 
soul  fallen  that  on  the  seventh  day  I  came  near 
to  omitting  my  prayer  at  even  .  .  .  but  I  thank 
Heaven  that  this  temptation  was  conquered!  I 
knelt  down  painfully  upon  the  little  carpet  which 
was  my  last  possession  and  submitted  myself  to 
the  will  of  Allah. 

''As  though  in  answer  to  my  prayer,  and  while 
I  still  kneit  there,  I  saw  afar  off  the  figure  of  one 
who  moved,  as  I  could  see  from  that  distance, 
with  a  carriage  of  leisure,  and  I  hoped — I  dared  to 
hope — that  in  answer  to  my  prayer,  I  will  not  say 

171 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

a  victim,  but,  at  any  rate,  some  provender  was 
to  be  afforded  me. 

' '  I  hastened  my  steps  to  catch  up  the  stranger, 
and  as  I  approached  him  remarked  with  pleasure 
his  fine  clothes  and  stately  manner.  'I  have  here, ' 
said  I  to  myself,  *  some  Important  Man,  some  one 
doubtless  unused  to  the  base  necessities  of  com- 
merce; simple,  noble  in  mind,  straightforward, 
generous,  amply  provided:  the  very  companion 
whom  I  should  desire. '  I  turned  over  in  my  mind 
(as  I  slackened  my  steps  for  a  moment,  so  that 
he  should  not  yet  observe  my  arrival)  various 
schemes  whereby  I  might  excuse  my  intrusion 
upon  his  solitary  walk.  At  last  I  hit  on  that 
which  seemed  to  me  the  most  agreeable  to  his 
supposed  circumstances  and  to  my  appearance. 
I  strode  up  to  him  and  bowing  low  asked  him 
whether  his  Greatness  could  direct  a  poor  wretch 
to  a  certain  village  the  name  of  which  I  had  heard 
and  which  lay  more  or  less  in  the  direction  I  had 
taken. 

''The  stranger  turned  to  salute  me  and  with 
that  I  felt  an  added  delight.  For  he  was  the  very 
thing  I  had  prayed.  Young,  simple  in  manner, 
courteous,  probably,  by  his  dress,  independent  and 
wealthy;  probably,  as  our  language  has  it,  'his 
own  father.' 

"He  wore  rare  ornaments;  his  cloak  was  of 
the  finest  wool  and  the  cord  that  bound  his  head- 
dress was  interspersed  with  silver. 

"By  way  of  reply  to  my  request,  he  told  me 
in  a  pleasant,  deep  voice,  speaking  after  the 
fashion  of  the  rich,  that  he  was  himself  strolling 
towards  it  so  far  as  his  own  house  and  farm,  which 

172 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

lay  between,  and  that  there  he  would  put  me  upon 
my  way.  I  expressed  my  gratitude,  and  my  fear 
lest  so  bedraggled  a  companion  might  be  distaste- 
ful to  him.  He  smiled  and  assured  me  that  he 
loved  nothing  better  than  converse.  He  had 
visited  a  neighbour  that  morning  to  ask  advice  on 
a  certain  set  of  pear  trees  of  his  which  had  not 
been  doing  well.  He  had  left  his  servant  to  follow 
him  with  his  mount,  preferring  this  hour's  stroll 
back  homewards  in  the  cool  of  the  sunset  hour 
which  had  now  descended. 

**As  we  went  we  talked  of  many  things  and  I 
frankly  told  him  the  story  of  my  life ;  for  I  have 
discovered  that  nothing  is  more  pleasing  to  men 
of  his  station  than  the  account  of  how  another 
has  been  reduced  from  wealth  to  poverty. 

''  *I  was  not  always,'  said  I,  as  I  strolled  by  his 
side,  'the  deplorable  figure  you  now  see  me.  In- 
deed, but  a  very  few  months  ago  I  was  the  over- 
manager  of  a  great  fruit  plantation  some  hundred 
miles  to  the  north  of  this  place.  I  had  come  with 
good  recommendations  from  my  former  em- 
ployers, planters  of  the  Gulf.  I  had  left  these  my 
original  masters  with  the  best  of  characters  and 
the  kindest  of  recommendations,  and  only  because 
the  eldest  son  of  one  of  the  partners  had  to  be 
put  into  the  business  and  there  was  no  room  for 
both  of  us.  I  had  accumulated  in  some  years  of 
useful  service  a  sufficient  little  capital  which  my 
kind  masters  were  so  exceedingly  generous  as  to 
double,  and  I  was  able  to  put  the  total  sum  into 
the  new  business  to  which  I  had  been  recom- 
mended. For  it  is  always  better,'  I  added,  *to 
have  some  stake  in  the  firm.' 

173 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

"  'You  are  right,'  said  my  new  friend  in  hearty 
approval.  '  There  is  no  greater  error  than  to  offer 
a  firm  such  intangible  things  as  talent,  honesty 
and  the  rest.  Valuable  as  they  are,  if  they  are 
unaccompanied  by  metal  they  are  without  sub- 
stance and  void. ' 

"With  an  expression  of  great  humility  I 
applauded  his  reply  and  told  him  how  flattered  I 
was  to  find  that  my  judgment  had  jumped  with 
his.  'But,  alas,  Sir!'  I  continued  deferentially, 
'There  is  no  controlling  the  current  of  our  des- 
tinies!   For  there  is  One  above ' 

"  *I  know,  I  know!'  agreed  my  companion  hur- 
riedly, in  the  tones  of  one  to  whom  the  sentiment 
was  familiar  and  at  the  same  time  doubtful,  and 
I  continued : 

**  'By  that  Divine  Will,'  I  went  on,  'was  I 
visited.  Heaven  saw  fit  to  try  its  servant.  In  the 
course  of  my  management  I  was  sent  to  negotiate 
the  purchase  of  a  cargo  of  lime-dressing  at  the 
nearest  port,  for  use  upon  the  plantation.  On  my 
way  I  had  the  misfortune  to  be  robbed  at  an  inn 
of  the  pouch  of  gold  that  had  been  confided  to  me. 
I  ought,  of  course,  to  have  returned  at  once  and 
told  my  partners  and  employers  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  to  have  offered,  perhaps,  to  repair  out 
of  my  own  property  what  might  look  like  the  result 
of  my  own  negligence;  but  I  was  afraid  lest  I 
should  not  be  believed,  and  again  lest,  if  I  were 
believed,  the  loss  should  prejudice  me  in  their 
eyes  as  an  incompetent.  What  I  did  was  to  go 
forward  to  the  port  that  very  day,  penniless,  and 
trust  to  the  credit  of  my  firm  to  complete  the 
transaction  I  had  in  hand. 

174 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

*  *  *  But  once  again  I  was  unfortunate !  I  carried 
through  the  negotiations  with  success  and  pur- 
chased the  cargo  upon  very  reasonable  terms.  I 
delayed  to  the  last  moment  the  payment  of  earnest 
money  and  then,  when  delay  would  no  longer 
serve,  I  said  carelessly,  that  full  payment  would 
follow  by  messenger  within  two  days.  The  mer- 
chant's face  darkened.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
been  led  on  by  false  pretences,  roughly  bade  me 
begone  and  would  hear  no  more  of  the  transaction. 
He  ref^ed  to  sign,  and  indeed  left  me  abruptly, 
saying  that  he  was  off  to  seek  another  purchaser 
and  telling  me  at  the  same  time  that  he  was 
seriously  considering  whether  or  no  to  summon 
me  before  the  magistrate  for  having  thus  lost 
him  a  whole  day  upon  a  false  pretence. 

**  *He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  I  received 
a  summons  from  the  magistrate  that  very  evening 
to  attend  his  court  the  next  day. 

"  'It  was  unfortunate  that  during  the  night 
another  theft  took  place  in  the  inn  where  I  lay. 
The  bundles  of  those  staying  at  the  place  were 
searched.  My  own  alone  contained  no  valuables 
of  any  kind.  One  would  have  thought  that  such  a 
circumstance  would  have  spoken  in  my  favour.  It 
was  exactly  the  other  way.  It  was  argued  that  a 
man  who  will  stay  in  an  inn  without  the  means  of 
paying  must  be  a  thief  of  some  sort  and  that  since 
the  sum  stolen  was  not  to  be  found  elsewhere 
it  was  probably  I,  thus  manifestly  suspect  of 
trickery,  who  was  the  culprit.  In  my  fright  I 
attempted  to  escape.  I  was  caught  and  roughly 
handled,  with  the  final  result  that  I  appeared  in 
the  magistrate's  court  covered  with   blood,   my 

175 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

garments  torn  and  in  such  a  posture  subjected  to  a' 
double  accusation  upon  the  part  of  the  innkeeper 
and  also  upon  the  part  of  the  foreign  merchant 
who  appeared  upon  the  original  charge. 

'*  *In  such  distress  I  had  no  avenue  of  escape 
save  a  reference  to  my  honoured  firm,  the  name 
of  which,  though  distant,  was  familiar  to  the 
Court.  The  magistrate  expressed  his  doubt  that 
I  had  any  connection  with  such  important  people, 
and  asked  me  if  I  would  risk  the  sending  of  a  mes- 
senger to  my  so-called  partners.  I  said  I  would 
do  so  gladly,  but  during  the  two  days'  interval 
of  the  messenger's  absence  I  was  closely  confined 
in  the  public  prison,  where  I  regret  to  say  the 
foreign  merchant  had  the  heartlessness  to  come 
and  make  faces  at  me  through  the  bars,  and  where, 
having  no  money  to  give  my  gaolers,  I  was  treated 
with  the  utmost  harshness. 

"  *My  misfortunes  were  not  at  an  end.  As  luck 
would  have  it  the  firm  to  which  I  belonged  and 
of  whose  books  I  had  the  sole  management,  under- 
took a  surprise  audit  on  the  very  day  of  my  depar- 
ture, and  discovered  a  most  serious  deficit  in  one 
item  which  the  partners,  in  their  ignorance,  could 
not  account  for.  Had  I  been  present  I  could 
easily  have  explained  what  had  happened.  It  was 
but  an  advance  which  I  had  made  to  a  customer 
whose  transactions  with  us  were  of  the  highest 
value.  As  much  in  my  own  interests  as  in  those 
of  my  partners  I  was  well  justified  in  risking  the 
money.  I  had  acted  foolishly  perhaps  in  refusing 
to  take  a  receipt  or  to  enter  the  matter  in  the 
books,  but  the  thing  was  only  for  a  week  and  after 
so  many  years  of  prosperity  I  could  not  dream  of 

176 


AL-BU8TAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

so  small  a  thing  turning  out  untowardly.  How- 
ever, there  it  was.  My  partners  hurriedly  sent 
after  me  and  learned  to  their  dismay  that  I  had 
left  the  first  inn  upon  the  road  without  payment, 
and  giving  no  account  of  my  future  movements. 
They  had  sent  a  man  post-haste  on  a  swift  horse. 
He  had  covered  the  distance  to  the  port  in  twelve 
hours,  but  (as  I  was  now  in  prison),  could  dis- 
cover nothing  of  me  in  the  town  nor  find  any 
cargo  I  had  bought  or,  indeed,  any  trace  of  me. 
He  returned  to  my  partners,  as  they  had  in- 
structed him,  upon  another  beast  as  swift  (hav- 
ing sold  his  spent  mount)  and  it  was  just  as  they 
received  this  grave  news  of  my  apparent  abscond- 
ing, just  while  my  partners  grew  more  and  more 
convinced  of  my  supposed  guilt,  that  the  mes- 
senger from  the  magistrate  arrived  and 
completed  the  accusation.  They  answered,  not  by 
coming  in  person,  but  by  sending  a  letter  of  the 
most  violent  kind,  calling  me  a  notorious  thief, 
expressing  their  pleasure  that  I  had  been  laid  by 
the  heels  and  begging  that,  so  far  as  they  were 
concerned,  the  magistrate  would  not  spare  me  in 
any  punishment  he  might  see  fit  to  inflict 
for  my  other  escapades.  Meanwhile  (they 
said)  they  would  not  trouble  him  to  enter  judg- 
ment for  the  sum  I  had  taken,  since  they  had 
replaced  it  out  of  my  capital  in  the  firm,  which 
nearly,  or  exactly,  made  good  the  deficit. 

"  'You  may  imagine,  my  Lord,  the  result  of 
all  this !  The  magistrate  read  the  Court  a  sermon 
on  the  justice  of  the  law  which  spared  no  man  for 
his  rank  or  commerce,  and  concluded,  **You  have 
before  you  the  sad  spectacle  of  a  man  of  substance 

177 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

fallen  through  temptation  into  poverty  and  dis- 
grace." The  foreign  merchant  contemptuously 
waived  his  action,  the  innkeeper  with  equal  con- 
tempt expressed  himself  satisfied  with  the  punish- 
ment I  had  already  undergone,  claiming  only  my 
clothes  by  way  of  payment,  giving  me  these  few 
rags  in  exchange.  With  yet  another  admonition 
the  magistrate  dismissed  me.  I  went  out  from 
the  court  a  broken  man,  wandered  aimlessly 
southward,  doing  a  little  work  here  and  there  upon 
the  farms,  and  I  am  now  seeking  the  next  village 
with  the  object  of  offering  my  services. 

**  'Such,  Sir,'  I  concluded,  'is  my  tale.  .  .  . 
Here  am  I,  with  every  commercial  aptitude,  and 
full  training  in  the  various  transactions  of  busi- 
ness (but  especially  in  the  management  of  plan- 
tations) for  no  fault  of  my  own  unable  to  exercise 
these  talents,  rehabiliate  my  character,  and 
recover  my  position  in  society.' 

''The  rich  young  man  was  deeply  touched  by 
my  story,  every  word  of  which,  I  am  glad  to  say, 
he  seemed  to  believe;  for  I  was  not  deceived  in 
my  reading  of  character  and  I  had  rightly 
guessed  that  a  man  under  thirty,  honest-faced  and 
clearly  enjoying  leisure  and  wealth  would  be 
singularly  open  to  the  reception  of  any  romantic 
tale  that  might  be  offered  to  him. 

"  'It  is  indeed  fortunate,'  he  answered,  'that 
you  understand  plantations.  It  is  a  matter  in 
which  I  am  for  the  moment  interested.  I  have 
an  orchard  which  is  not  doing  well.'  He  had  evi- 
dently forgotten  his  first  sentence  on  our  meeting 
which  had  given  me  my  clue.  But  rich  and  gen- 
erous natures  are  like  that  in  early  youth :  hence, 

178 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

also,  are  they  bad  players  in  games  of  skill. 

^'  'Come  with  me,'  he  continued,  'and  pass  the 
night  in  my  house  yonder  (it  already  lay  before 
us  in  the  hollow) ;  'the  conversation  on  your  past 
life,  which  is  doubtless  full  of  adventures,  will 
entertain  me  at  my  meal.  To-morrow  I  will  see 
that  you  have  occupation  upon  my  farm,  and  after 
a  short  experiment  I  think  we  shall  get  along  very 
well  indeed  together,  particularly  as  I  have  re- 
cently planted  by  way  of  experiment  a  number  of 
pear  trees  which — as  I  think  I  just  told  you — are 
not  doing  well.  I  thought  myself  able  from  my 
general  knowledge  to  conduct  this  orchard,  but  I 
regret  to  say  that  some  of  the  trees  have  died,  and 
that  the  rest  are  in  a  poor  way.  I  evidently  lack 
the  special  experience  required.  Since  planta- 
tions are  your  special  line  you  may  be  of  the 
greatest  service  to  me  in  this  little  matter. ' 

"Here,  my  dear  nephews,  I  was  in  something 
of  a  quandary.  This,  I  am  told,  is  a  difficulty  we 
men  of  affairs  come  across  often  enough  in  the 
conduct  of  our  negotiations.  It  is  our  duty,  as  I 
need  hardly  tell  you,  to  add  details  of  a  corrobora- 
tive kind  to  the  statements  we  have  to  make  in 
affairs.  To  omit  any  detail  is  to  court  suspicion. 
On  the  other  hand,  one  never  knows  where  the 
most  necessary  fictions  may  lead  one.  Here  I  was 
confronted  by  the  task  of  bringing  to  fruition  an 
orchard  ...  an  orchard  of  pears  .  .  .  and  I 
knew  nothing  whatever  of  orchards  and  of  pears 
far  less. 

"I  replied,  therefore,  with  the  greatest  enthusi- 
asm that  the  opportunity  was  exactly  what  I 
should  have  desired.    Orchards  were  the  one  kind 

179 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

of  plantation  I  had  most  carefully  studied,  and  of 
all  fruits  pears  were  those  upon  which  I  had 
specialised  most.  Once  I  had  seen  the  kind  of 
tree  my  kind  host  had  planted  I  should  certainly 
be  able  to  tell  him  what  was  the  matter. 

**It  was  almost  dark  when  we  came  to  his 
enclosure,  but  so  eager  was  he  on  his  new  idea 
that  he  led  me  at  once  to  the  back  of  the  house 
where  the  trees  were  planted.  Very  sickly  indeed 
did  their  gaunt  twigs  look  in  the  gloaming.  A 
good  third  of  them  were  shrivelled  and  dead,  the 
rest  drooped  in  various  degrees,  one  only  gave  a 
promise  of  fruit  out  of  some  three  hundred  stems. 
The  rich  man  surveyed  the  ruin  and  gazed  at  me 
anxiously  while  I  held  my  chin  in  my  hand  as 
though  meditating  upon  the  best  course  for  him 
to  pursue,  but  in  reality  considering  my  own. 

''Then  it  was,  my  dear  infants,  that  I  received 
from  on  High  one  of  those  illuminations  which 
have  always  been,  with  me,  the  forerunners  of 
great  things.  I  deliberately  kept  the  rich  young 
man  waiting  for  the  space  of  a  long  prayer  and 
then  said  suddenly  and  with  determination, '  Scrap 
the  lot!  .  .  .  Excuse  me,'  I  added,  'I  have  used  a 
phrase  current  in  the  barbaric  cities  of  the  north, 
which  is  somewhat  corrupt  in  speech.  My  inten- 
tion was  to  express  to  your  Highness  my  convic- 
tion, formed  upon  this  rapid  survey  in  gathering 
darkness,  that  the  orchard  can  no  longer  be  saved, 
for  I  am  sure  my  judgment  will  be  confirmed 
when  I  make  a  more  thorough  examination  to- 
morrow morning  in  broad  day.  I  see  also,  even 
in  this  light,  that  the  type  of  tree  you  have  planted 
is  wholly  unsuited  to  the  climate.    May  I  be  so 

180 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

bold  as  to  ask  where  you  purchased  the  stock  ?  * 

**  'I  was  assured,'  answered  my  new  friend  a 
little  shamefacedly,  'that  it  was  stock  grown 
within  this  very  region  and  peculiarly  adapted 
for  our  dry  climate :  for  the  drought  of  our  posi- 
tion which,  as  you  know,  stands  too  high  for  water- 
ways. ' 

**I  shook  my  head.  'You  were  deceived,'  said 
I.    'Who  sold  you  this  unsuitable  stock?' 

"He  told  me  that  it  was  a  sound  friend  of  his 
who  had  gone  off  for  a  while  upon  a  journey,  that 
he  was  quite  sure  he  had  not  intended  to  deceive. 
*  Perhaps  there  was  some  error  in  the  consignment 
shipped  to  you,'  I  answered  cheerfully  as  we 
turned  towards  the  house.  '  This  kind  does  admir- 
ably in  the  River  Lowlands,  and  I  take  it  your 
friend's  servants  by  some  mistake  sent  your  con- 
signment to  some  lowland  client  and  his  to  you 
in  these  uplands.  Anyhow,  the  orchard  is  mani- 
festly doomed,  as  you  can  see,  and  for  my  part 
I  make  no  doubt  that  the  trouble  has  come  from 
the  use  of  a  wrong  species.  Now  what  you  want 
here,'  I  continued  rapidly,  turning  over  my 
chances  well  in  my  mind,  and  plumping  for  tech- 
nical terms,  'is  a  pear  neither  palinate  nor 
sublongate,  nor,  for  that  matter  perforate,  but 
daxullic,  or,  as  we  sometimes  call  it  in  the  trade 
"retarded" — at  any  rate  in  the  second  and  third 
stirp. ' 

"  'I  see;  I  understand;  I  apprehend,'  said  the 
rich  young  man.  For  thus,  have  I  discovered,  do 
rich  young  men  carry  on  a  conversation  which 
leaves  them  entirely  at  sea. 

"  'I  do  not,'  I  hastened  to  add,  'insist,  of 
181 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

course,  upon  the  Persian  stock,  thougli  that  is  the 
best.  It  might  be  difficult  to  procure  and  it  is 
very  expensive.  What  I  mean  is  something  of  the 
same  family.  I  should  advise,  as  a  stock  more 
easily  purchased  in  the  local  markets,  the  pear 
called  by  the  merchants  ''The  Glory  of  Heaven." 

**  'It  was  introduced  some  few  years  ago  by  my 
friend  Nasredin  and  is  now  a  favourite  stock  on 
the  Plateau  of  Reshed  where  the  climate  is  very 
similar  to  yours.  It  bears  a  large,  luscious  fruit, 
highly  marketable,  and  maturing  early ;  and  it  can 
be  purchased  at  a  moderate  expense.  I  will,  if  you 
like,  go  for  you  to  the  nearest  provided  of  such 
things  and  see  what  I  can  do. ' 

"My  host  thanked  me  profusely.  He  remarked 
how  small  the  world  was  and  at  the  same  time 
how  manifest  were  the  workings  of  Providence. 
He  blessed  the  day  when  he  had  met  me.  For 
though  (he  said),  the  matter  of  expense  did  not 
weigh  upon  him,  he  had  made  a  particular  point 
of  success  in  the  matter  of  pear  trees,  and  but  for 
my  advice  he  really  did  not  know  what  he  should 
have  done. 

' '  He  was  so  keen  upon  the  affair  that  he  pressed 
me  to  start  for  the  nearest  nurseryman  the  very 
next  morning.  There  was  an  excellent  nursery 
plantation,  he  said,  not  more  than  half  a  day*s 
ride  away  to  the  West.  It  stood,  with  the  owner's 
house  in  the  midst,  just  outside  the  gates  of  the 
town  to  which  he  would  direct  me,  either  going 
himself  or  sending  his  bailiff  with  me.  He  would 
also  send  a  wagon  for  the  conveyance  of  the  young 
shoots.  Indeed,  as  the  meal  progressed  (for  we 
were  now  dining),  he  grew  more  and  more  enthusi- 

182 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  OBCHARD 

astic  on  the  matter  and  could  hardly  bear  the 
delay  of  the  night.  I  saw  which  way  the  land  lay 
and  saw  fit  to  increase  his  keenness.  I  therefore 
told  him  it  was  quite  impossible  to  act  with  such 
speed.  'The  young  shoots,'  said  I,  'must  not  be 
left  to  lie  untended  and  unplanted.  "We  must  first 
of  all  prepare  the  ground.  The  old  trees  must  be 
dug  up,  the  pits  enlarged.  It  is  the  narrowness 
of  the  earthing  that  has  been  half  your  trouble, 
for  the  smaller  root  tendrils  which  we  call  ''trips" 
are  easily  estopped  in  hard  groundings.'  'I  see!' 
said  he,  sapiently.  'The  ground  must  be  well 
soaked,'  I  continued,  'and  manured  with  a  full 
dressing  of  hme,  and  only  when  all  this  has  been 
completed  could  I  think  of  advising  you  to  plant. ' 

"I  paused  to  concoct  something  new,  and  the 
amiable  youth  filled  the  gap  for  me  by  murmuring : 
'Precisely!    Exactly!    Now  I  understand.' 

"I  resumed:  'Further  we  must  underpin  the 
runners  and  work  up  the  earth  herring-wise. 
And  then  there  is  the  daubing.  ...  It  will  be  a 
matter  of  full  three  days'  work.  On  the  fourth 
day  I  can  set  out  before  sunrise.  You  may  take 
it  that  I  will  be  back  by  evening,  and  we  will,  if 
you  please,  plant  the  very  next  morning — ^that  is 
on  the  fifth  day — lest  the  stock  should  suffer ;  for 
I  have  always  found  it,'  I  added  profoundly,  'of 
invariable  service  to  plant  immediately.  I  have 
indeed  lost  in  the  past  one  or  two  most  valuable 
sets  of  trees — pear  trees — ^by  delaying  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  year  so  much  as  twenty-four  hours 
before  putting  them  in  the  ground. ' 

"As  I  thus  spoke  he  nodded  frequently,  admir- 
ing my  talent  and  knowledge  of  these  affairs,  and 

183 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

I  took  occasion,  as  evening  wore  on,  to  ground 
him  yet  more  deeply  in  this  fascinating  subject, 
which  I  had  already  begun  to  feel  was  mine. 

"The  next  day  with  the  first  of  the  light  we 
both  of  us  set  out  to  the  orchard.  He  summoned 
his  workmen  and  our  labours  engrossed  us  for 
many  hours  during  which  I  fed  his  enthusiasm 
with  renewed  tales  of  marvels  in  the  way  of  fruit- 
growing— and  especially  of  pear  trees.  That  par- 
ticular pear  called  'The  Glory  of  Heaven' 
increased  wonderfully  as  I  proceeded  imtil  at  last 
it  had  grown  to  such  a  size  that  each  individual 
fruit  was  as  large  as  a  child's  head,  and  half  a 
dozen  of  them  would  fetch  a  piece  of  gold  'if  (I 
was  careful  to  add)  'if  they  are  properly  packed! 
For  I  regret  to  say  that,  simple  as  the  detail  is, 
the  neglect  of  good  packing  has  been  the  ruin  of 
most  speculators  in  this  line.' 

' '  During  the  second  day  of  our  labours  I  dilated 
upon  other  details  of  the  trade  which  occurred  to 
me  as  I  went  along.  I  especially  insisted  upon 
what  I  called  the  maximum  point,  and  for  this  he 
was  all  ears. 

"  'There  is  a  limit,'  I  said,  'to  your  planta- 
tion, after  which  the  expenses  of  management 
begin  to  eat  into  the  profits  earned.  A  first  small 
speculation  of  300  trees,  such  as  you  have  here,  is, 
of  course,  a  mere  bagatelle.  It  would  provide  you 
with  amusement,  but  no  appreciable  income.  The 
most  profitable  size  of  orchard  is  far  larger.  .  .  . 
In  such  a  situation  as  yours,'  said  I,  looking  round 
with  an  air  of  a  connoisseur,'  and  with  such  soil 
as  this,'  and  with  that  I  took  up  a  clod  and  care- 
fully  crumbled   it   in   my   fingers,    'possessing 

184 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARE^ 

acidulated  properties  of  this  type,  but  corrected 
by  some  slow  exhaust  of  porphyritic  matter,  it 
would  need  but  a  top  dressing  of  bardulm  and  an 
occasional  picketing  of  charcoal  to  make  some 
3,000  trees  produce  a  regular  annual  profit  of  not 
less  than  200  pieces  of  gold — and  that  upon  an 
original  expenditure  less  than  double  the  amount. 
I  would  estimate  your  return  with  care  and  good 
fortune  at  quite  fifty  per  cent.,  but  at  any  rate 
you  could  calculate  upon  thirty  per  cent.  But 
more  than  3,000  trees,'  said  I,  musing,  *  would,  I 
fear,  be  an  error;  the  earnings  after  that  get 
eaten  into  by  expenses.' 

*'He  interrupted  me  with  the  eager  words:   *I 

should  be  happy '    I  lifted  my  hand  to  check 

him  and  said,  'No!  I  assure  you,  that  even  such 
a  number  as  3,500  would  be  just  beyond  the  line, 
and  as  you  approach  5,000  you  would  find  the 
expense  absorbing  nearly  all  your  profit.  It  is 
as  great  an  error  to  over-do  these  things  as  to 
starve  them.  Let  us  fix  the  number  at  3,000  and 
the  capital  expenditure  at  4000  pieces  of  gold. 
Then  I  think  you  will  not  be  disappointed. ' 

* '  The  third  day  I  spent  overlooking  the  levelling 
of  the  ground  and  its  last  preparation,  as  also  in 
making  mysterious  marks  with  little  pegs  and  jot- 
ting down  notes  in  a  book:  all  of  which  excited 
the  owner  to  the  last  degree,  and  left  him  (as  the 
phrase  goes)  with  his  tongue  hanging  out  for  the 
new  trees. 

''That  evening  my  kind  host  after  some  little 
embarrassment  made  me  an  offer.  Would  I,  he 
asked,  share  in  the  profits  of  the  enterprise?  I 
at  once  refused.    My  decision  surprised  him :  but, 

185 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

as  he  pressed  the  project  upon  me,  I  told  him 
that  gratitude  was  only  a  part  of  my  decision.  I 
owed  him  everything;  he  had  found  me — it 
seemed  a  month  ago  indeed,  though  it  was  but 
three  days — in  rags;  he  had  clothed  me,  fed  me 
and,  what  was  more,  trusted  me.  His  trust,  I 
assured  him,  would  not  be  deceived.  'I  shall  be 
content,'  I  concluded,  'with  the  salary  proper  to 
my  position'  (he  at  once  mentioned  a  sum,  which 
I  halved),  'but  I  will  go  so  far  as  this;  if,  upon 
the  opening  of  the  fourth  year,  your  profits  shall 
be  found  to  have  exceeded  what  I  have  suggested, 
if  you  make  in  the  three  years  more  than  600 
pieces  of  gold,  at  200  pieces  a  year,  which  I  sug- 
gest as  the  probable  result,  I  will  accept,  though 
reluctantly,  one  half  of  the  excess.  For  I  am 
confident,'  and  here  I  put  an  especially  serious 
tone  into  my  voice,  'that  we  shall  do  better  than 
I  have  said.  I  have  ever  held  it  my  duty  to  give 
a  conservative  estimate  and  to  avoid  the  disap- 
pointment of  those  who  employ  me.  To  this, 
among  other  things,  do  I  ascribe  the  great  suc- 
cess which  attended  me  during  my  earlier  years, 
and  which  only  failed  me  through  the  deplorable 
accidents  I  related  to  you  on  our  first  meeting.  * 

"My  host  appeared  a  little  confused  at  my 
probity,  or  rather,  at  my  scruples;  but  he  told 
me  that  he  had  always  found  such  errors  to  be 
upon  the  right  side,  and  assured  me  that  I  should 
not  lose  by  the  austerity  of  my  temper.  Nor  did 
I.  .  .  . 

"We  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  looking  at 
the  illuminations  in  his  fine  library.  I  expressed 
myself  enthralled  by  them  all.     I  lingered  with 

186 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

especial  care  over  every  representation  of  aii 
orchard  in  these  pictures,  and  spoke  in  the  most 
learned  manner  of  the  various  fruits  therein  dis- 
played. As  luck  would  have  it  we  came  to  one 
particularly  fine  painting  in  which  were  delineated 
the  most  enormous  pears  of  a  brilliant  golden  hue 
interspersed  with  soft  leaves.  '  This, '  I  cried  de- 
lightedly, *is  the  very  fruit  of  which  I  have  been 
speaking !    How  interesting !    How  exciting ! ' 

*'  *Is  that  so?'  said  my  host,  transported  at  the 
coincidence,  '  Once  more  I  must  say  it :  how  small 
is  the  world  I' 

"  'Yes,'  said  I,  *it  is  that  pear  ''Glory  of 
Heaven,"  of  which  I  have  been  speaking  and 
which  you  may  see,  by  comparison  with  the  insects 
here  portrayed  and  of  the  trellis  work,  to  be  most 
enormous  fruit.  Of  its  succulence  I  must  leave 
you  to  judge  when  you  shall  gather  your  first 
harvest.  Of  its  highly  saleable  quality  in  the 
markets  of  the  north  you  will,  I  trust,  soon  have 
satisfactory  experience. ' 

"  'I  shall  indeed!'  said  my  host,  now  quite 
beside  himself  with  the  combined  emotions  of  the 
collector  and  the  man  of  property.  He  blessed 
again  and  again  the  day  he  had  the  good  fortune 
to  meet  such  a  man  as  myself.  Summoning  his 
bailiff  he  gave  orders  for  the  wagon  to  be  pre- 
pared over  night  and  the  horses  to  be  ready  by 
sunrise.  'No,  no,'  said  I,  'an  hour  before  sun- 
rise, if  you  please !  I  am  determined,  at  whatever 
inconvenience  to  myself,  to  have  the  plants  back 
here,  at  your  house,  on  the  night  of  the  same  day. 
I  will  risk  no  failure  in  this  great  affair !'  Again 
he  blessed  and  thanked  me,  and  when  his  depen- 

187 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

dents  were  dismissed  took  ine  aside  and  prepared 
to  count  out  the  money  which  would  be  required 
for  my  expenditure. 

**  'You  said  400  pieces  of  gold,'  said  he,  as  he 
disposed  the  coins  in  little  heaps  of  ten  upon  the 
table.  'You  had  better  make  it  500,  for  there 
may  have  been  fluctuations  in  the  market  since  you 
last  purchased,  and  it  is  good  that  you  should 
have  a  margin.' 

' '  I  told  him  I  thought  the  provision  a  wise  one, 
but  that  I  would  account  for  every  penny  when 
he  should  next  see  me.  And  this,  curiously 
enough,  was  my  true  intention,  though  I  could 
not  have  given  him  any  very  exact  date  for  our 
next  meeting.  I  wrote  him  out  a  formal  receipt 
in  spite  of  his  protests,  remarking  that  business 
was  business ;  and  so  that  every  formality  should 
be  accomplished  I  signed  the  document  in  the 
name  of  an  old  friend  of  mine,  one  Daoud-ben- 
Yacoub.  I  said  I  would  further  have  affixed  my 
seal  had  I  possessed  one,  but  placed  as  I  was, 
no  such  instrument  was  available. 

**  'The  ball  of  your  thumb  will  do,'  said  the 
young  man  carelessly.  His  words  brought  me  up 
rather  sharp,  and  it  was  not  without  trepidation 
that  I  acceded  to  this  chance  request.  But  once 
more  the  inspiration  of  Heaven  served  me.  I 
dexterously  substituted  my  middle  finger  for  my 
thumb  as  I  pressed  the  wax  thereunder.  This 
arrangement,"  said  the  old  merchant,  as  he 
crossed  the  two  fingers  in  the  presence  of  his 
nephews,  by  way  of  illustration,  "I  recommend 
you  upon  every  occasion  of  life.  It  is  especially 
useful  in  those   tyrannical   countries   where   the 

188 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

police  take  the  thumb-marks  of  innocent  way- 
farers. I  have  used  it  a  dozen  times.  .  .  .  But  to 
return  to  my  tale. 

**I  pattered  on  to  my  kind  host  as  I  pressed  my 
finger  down,  and  thus  distracted  his  attention 
from  too  close  a  watch  on  my  hand.  *  This  thumb 
mark,'  said  I,  releasing  my  middle  finger  from  the 
wax,  'this  thumb  mark  is  as  good  as  any  signa- 
ture, I  think;  for  Allah  has  made  it  the  sign 
manual  of  all  honest  men ;  no  two  are  alike.  Re- 
member, pray,'  I  added  laughingly,  'that  it  was 
the  thumb  of  my  right  hand. ' 

''  'I  will,'  said  he,  laughing  in  turn.  'As  you 
say,  these  are  mere  formalities.  I  do  not  think 
the  less  of  you  for  your  insistence  upon  their 
performance. ' 

"With  these  words  we  parted  in  the  greatest 
mutual  satisfaction.  He  to  dream  of  this  fine  new 
plantation  and  his  coming  wealth,  but  I  to  pour 
out  my  soul  in  prayer  to  my  Maker  and  humbly 
to  ask  for  further  guidance. 

"Next  morning  while  it  was  yet  dark  I  rose 
and  mounted,  the  bailiff  at  my  side,  and  the  slaves 
taking  the  wagons  behind.  Early  as  was  the  hour 
my  kind  host  was  astir ;  he  gave  me  his  blessing 
for  the  tenth  time  on  my  departure  and  poured 
out  petitions  for  my  safe  return.  I  hung  the 
pouch  of  gold  to  my  saddle  bow,  ^^here  I  securely 
fastened  it;  I  took  the  weapon  with  which  he 
had  kindly  provided  me  in  case  of  any  misadven- 
ture by  the  road,  and  left  him  under  the  benedic- 
tion of  God.  I  thought  a  little  sadly,  as  we  rode 
out  in  silence  through  the  gate  and  out  on  to  the 
bare  uplands  again,  how  transitory  were  all  human 

189 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

affections.  How  short  had  been  this  episode  of 
friendship  and  hospitality!  How  brief  even  in 
the  short  course  of  one  human  life  are  these  pas- 
sages of  complete  confidence  and  brotherly  kind- 
ness !    When  should  we  meet  again? 

''Of  my  journey  there  is  little  to  be  related. 
We  plodded  on,  our  pace  necessarily  determined 
by  that  of  the  slow  wagon  following  us  and  my 
mind  still  turned  upon  what  my  future  action 
should  be;  for,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  my  dear 
nephews,  Allah  had  vouchsafed  me  no  revelation, 
in  spite  of  my  earnest  prayers  during  the  night, 
and  I  was  still  considering  what  turn  I  should 
give  to  the  affair  when  once  more  that  Infinite 
Mercy  which  has  never  failed  me  (or,  at  any  rate, 
only  for  some  short  few  days  and  even  so  but  to 
chastise  my  pride)  came  to  my  rescue. 

'  *  There  are,  in  this  country,  deep  gullies  called 
nullahs,  the  course  of  streams  which  run  but 
rarely  on  these  heights,  but  which,  when  they  run, 
dig  their  channels  deeply  into  the  friable  soil. 
The  crossing  of  these  gullies  by  any  rolling  vehicle 
is  something  of  a  business.  As  we  reached  one, 
therefore  (they  came  at  intervals  of  two  or  three 
miles)  the  bailiff  and  I  were  careful  to  dismount 
and  help  the  slaves  with  the  wheels. 

*'It  was  while  thus  engaged  during  our  careful 
drop  into  the  second  nullah  that  the  inspiration 
from  on  high  flashed  into  my  brain.  I  perceived 
that  the  wheels  of  the  waggon  were  fastened  to  the 
hub  with  wooden  pins,  one  of  which,  at  the  off-hind 
wheel  which  I  was  holding  back,  looked  a  little 
loose.  The  slaves  had  their  backs  turned  to  me, 
holding  back  the  front  wheels,  and  checking  the 

190 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

horses ;  at  the  other  hind  wheel,  with  the  body  of 
the  front  wagon  between  us  and  concealing  his 
view  from  mine,  strained  and  heaved  the  bailiff, 
a  fat,  elderly  rogue,  unaccustomed  to  such  work. 
I  pulled  out  the  pin,  threw  it  into  the  depths 
of  the  neighbouring  scrub,  and  as  I  did  so 
continued  to  cry,  'Steady  there!  Steady!  So! 
Hold  hard!  That 's  better !  Woa-oh!  Standby!' 
and  other  words  of  the  sort,  which  showed  my 
interest  in  the  operation.  I  could  see  the  wheel 
wobbling  as  we  crossed  the  flat  bed  of  the  nullah. 
At  the  foot  of  the  far  rise  it  was  nearly  off.  The 
time  had  come.  'Now!'  I  cried  suddenly,  ^All 
together!  Whip  up  the  horses  and  shove!'  The 
whips  cracked,  the  slaves  hauled  at  the  traces,  the 
horses  strained,  up  went  the  wagon,  off  came  the 
wheel  and  the  whole  collapsed  upon  one  side  with 
a  great  din  and  with  a  sharp  cracking,  as  though 
something  had  given  way. 

"And  so  it  proved  to  be;  for  the  main  axle, 
though  not  snapped,  had  split;  so  there  we  were 
with  the  wagon  out  of  service  for  the  moment,  the 
axle  unsure,  a  hind  wheel  off,  and  the  whole  con^ 
traption  on  its  side. 

*  *  The  bailiff  was  seriously  disturbed.  It  seemed 
that  my  kind  host  was  a  firm  master,  that  he  had 
his  moments  of  sharp  temper;  and  the  bailiff 
bewailed  his  fate  and  considered  what  awaited 
him  on  his  return.  I  laughed  good-naturedly  and 
re-assured  him. 

'*  'Come,  come,'  said  I,  'it  is  no  great  matter! 
I  understand  these  things.  Do  you  ride  on  towards 
the  town.  I  will  help  the  slaves  put  back  the 
wheel.    We  will  make  some  sort  of  jury  pin  to 

191 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

pnt  into  the  hub,  we  will  tie  a  rope  round  the 
cracked  axle,  and  all  will  be  well.  We  are  men 
enough  between  us  to  repair  the  wagon,  but  you, 
as  I  say,  ride  forward.    I  shall  soon  catch  you  up. 

"The  bailiff  was  relieved  at  this  proof  of  my 
efficiency  and  good  will,  and  delighted  to  be 
released  from  the  work  to  which  he  was  quite 
unused.  He  rode  on  at  a  moderate  pace  while  the 
slaves  and  I  heaved  the  wagon  back  upright.  I 
fashioned  a  jury  pin  out  of  a  piece  of  the  scrub 
and  I  was  careful  to  make  it  too  weak  for  its  work. 
We  bound  a  piece  of  rope  round  the  axle  and  when 
all  this  was  done  I  bade  them  go  forward  carefully 
lest  a  further  accident  should  befall.  I  then  rode 
on  smartly  to  catch  up  the  bailiff,  who  had  by  this 
time  got  about  a  mile  ahead.  As  I  neared  him  I 
looked  back  from  an  intervening  rise  of  land.  It 
was  as  I  had  anticipated.  The  jury  pin  had  given 
way,  and  the  wagon  was  on  its  side  again :  but  the 
lift  of  land  soon  hid  it  from  me  and  down  on  the 
further  slope  I  caught  up  the  bailiff,  ambling 
along.  '  The  wagon  is  all  right, '  said  I, '  but  it  will 
have  to  go  rather  slow.*  He  gave  a  great  sigh  of 
content.  '  Thanks  be ! '  said  he.  *  Truly  you  are  a 
genius ! ' 

"  ^Not  at  all!'  said  I  modestly.  'It  is  quite  a 
small  accident  and  of  a  sort  to  which  I  am  accus- 
tomed ;  but  do  you  ride  back  now  that  everything 
is  well,  for  the  slaves  are  uneducated  men'  (this 
sort  of  flattery  is  honey  to  bailiffs),  'and  will  need 
some  one  of  your  standing  to  moderate  their  pace 
and  to  check  their  horses  and  to  see  that  the 
wagon  comes  on  in  good  condition.  Go  very  care- 
fully, for  the  axle  is  weak.    When  you  shall  reach 

192 


AL-BU8TAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

the  town  we  will  get  a  proper  pin  and  have  every- 
thing put  right  in  an  hour  or  two,  meanwhile  I  will 
go  forward  and  we  will  make  an  appointment  at 
the  market  gardener's,  which  you  will  reach,  I 
think,  some  three-quarters  of  an  hour  after  myself. 
For  we  are  now,  I  take  it,  some  couple  of  hours 
from  the  town. ' 

"  *You  are  right,'  said  the  bailiff,  'you  have  but 
to  follow  the  track  and  we  will  come  after  you.' 
With  that  he  turned  back.  Once  I  had  seen  him 
disappear  behind  the  rise  of  the  hill  I  dug  my 
spurs  sharply  into  my  poor  horse  and  went  at  top 
speed  across  the  hied. 

'^I  am  a  poor  rider  and  had  not  my  saddle  been 
ample  and  my  stirrups  weighty  I  should  have 
fallen.  But  Providence  was  with  me  once  again. 
I  came  through  a  gap  of  rocks  and  saw,  imme- 
diately before  and  below  me,  the  white  domes 
and  fiat  roofs  of  a  large  city,  and  just  outside  the 
gate  a  fine  plantation  of  young  fruit  trees,  which 
I  recognized  as  the  nursery  gardener's. 

*'I  had  ridden  past  his  house  and  grounds,  and 
admired  the  young  pear  trees  especially  (a  fine 
collection)  when  a  useful  thought  occurred  to  me, 
and  I  acted  on  it  at  once,  eager  though  I  was  to 
save  time.  I  turned  back  and  said  to  the  slave  at 
the  gate  of  the  plantation,  'I  have  a  message  for 
your  master.  Tell  him  that  if  any  one  asks  for 
Daoud-ben-Jacoub,  he  has  bidden  me  say  that  he 
went  back  by  a  short  cut  to  help  his  companions 
with  a  broken  wagon.'  I  then  turned  again  and 
rode  off  towards  the  city  walls. 

**I  approached  the  town  and  rode  through  the 
gate  with  dignity  in  the  new  fine  clothes  the  young 

193 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

lord  had  given  me.  I  nodded  in  a  superior  manner 
to  the  guard  and  made  straight  for  the  opposite 
entrance  to  the  city.  A  horse  fair  was  proceed- 
ing. I  put  up  mine  at  an  inn,  took  off  the  bag  of 
gold  (which  was  heavy,  but  not  too  heavy  to  be 
carried)  walked  towards  the  market  and  asked 
where  I  could  best  purchase  a  horse.  The  name 
of  a  horse-seller  was  given  me.  I  approached 
him,  failed  to  believe  all  that  he  told  me  with 
regard  to  the  beast  he  offered,  but  said  it  would 
be  enough  for  my  purpose.  I  had  not  an  idea 
whither  to  fly,  yet  fly  I  must,  for  sooner  or  later 
the  bailiff  or  my  late  master  himself  must  follow. 
I  knew  nothing  of  the  country  nor  the  names  of  its 
towns  nor  of  the  roads.  I  took  refuge  in  a  piece 
of  diplomacy.  As  I  paid  for  the  horse,  I  said  to 
the  seller,  that  I  had  to  reach  my  mother 's  house 
in  the  next  city  before  sundown,  and  that  I  hoped 
my  purchase  was  able  to  carry  me  that  far  in  the 
remaining  half-day. 

"  'Half  a  day's  riding ?*  answered  the  merchant 
in  astonishment.  '  I  know  not  how  you  ride !  If 
you  mean  the  town  of  Taftah  it  is  not  more  than 
three  hours'  going  for  any  reasonable  mount.' 

*'  *Is  that  so?'  said  I  in  surprise.  'I  am  a 
stranger  and  I  can  only  believe  what  I  was  told. 
But  you  know  how  vague  these  country  people 
are.  I  was  assured  that  this  was  the  road  to 
Taftah,'  and  here  I  pointed  through  the  eastern 
gate. 

*'  'Yes!  That  is  the  road,'  he  said.  'You  can 
easily  reach  your  mother's  house  before  evening 
upon  this  beast,'  he  said,  clapping  its  crupper. 
'Without  doubt  you  will  be  there  long  before  the 

194 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

prayer:  and  God  be  with  you,  Hassan!'  For, 
incidentally,  it  was  as  Hassan  that  I  had  done 
business  with  him. 

*'I  paid  him  ten  pieces  of  gold  for  the  beast. 
(It  was  more  than  it  was  worth).  I  humbly 
repeated  his  prayer  which  I  felt  did  apply  with 
peculiar  force  to  me  now,  for  I  was  conscious  that 
I  was  once  more  under  the  beneficent  guidance  of 
Heaven — ^who  could  not  be  with  that  heavy  pouch 
now  hanging  again  on  his  saddle?  I  rode  out 
therefore  confidently,  quite  careless  whether  I 
killed  the  beast  or  no  in  my  rapid  progress  and 
brought  it  into  Taftah  well  within  three  hours  in 
such  a  state  that  I  was  delighted  to  find  a  pur- 
chaser (to  whom  I  gave  my  name  as  Abdurram, 
and  my  profession  as  that  of  a  leather  dresser), 
who  offered  but  five  pieces  of  gold :  I  was  glad  to 
be  rid  of  the  horse  and  him  at  that. 

* '  Time  still  pressed.  I  might  be  traced.  I  knew 
not  what  accidents  had  occurred  upon  the  road 
behind  me,  whether  indeed  those  poor  fools  had 
managed  to  mend  the  wagon  again,  if  not,  whether 
the  bailiff  would  have  the  courage  to  tell  his 
master  or  ride  on  to  find  me  in  the  first  town.  If 
he  had  so  ridden  on  he  might  find  evidences  of  my 
departure,  and  even  (more  doubtfully)  of  my 
second  horse  and  its  purchase. 

''But  though  time  pressed  it  would  have  been 
fatal  to  show  any  too  great  speed.  I  therefore 
sauntered  very  gradually  in  my  fine  clothes,  af  3ot, 
bearing  my  pouch  in  my  hand  concealed  under 
the  fold  of  my  garment,  until  I  reached  a  gather- 
ing of  merchants  outside  a  sort  of  Exchange 
which  this  town  of  Taftah  boasted,    like    others 

195 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

of  the  neiglibourliood,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
governor's  palace. 

''It  was  there  that,  during  a  conversation  which, 
for  all  my  anxiety,  I  took  care  to  make  slow  and 
dignified,  I  learned  how  dates  were  in  great 
demand  in  a  large  city  called  Laknes,  about  two 
weeks'  journey  beyond  the  hills.  It  was,  to  a 
business  man  like  myself,  a  most  fascinating  story 
that  I  heard!  The  people  of  that  far  country 
were  passionately  fond  of  dates  and  gave  that 
fruit  the  briskest  market  imaginable.  Their 
appetite  had  grown  all  the  more  formidable  since 
the  next  people  immediately  beyond  them  had 
passed  a  law  prohibiting  the  culture  and  sale  of 
all  dates  on  account  of  the  toothache  sometimes 
arising  from  that  fruit.  With  this  reduction  of 
supply  Laknes  became  more  of  a  bidder  for  dates 
than  ever.  Great  rewards  were  offered  to  any 
taking  the  fruit  to  such  a  market.  The  last 
advices,  not  a  month  old,  quoted  thirty  dinars  the 
kantar  and  were  rising.  The  merchants  designed 
to  despatch  a  caravan  the  day  after  the  morrow. 

''With  equal  leisure  and  dignity  I  left  them 
after  this  little  talk  and  made  it  my  immediate 
business  in  the  next  half-hour  to  procure  with 
the  capital  at  my  disposal  a  number  of  camels 
and  a  couple  of  bales  of  dates  for  each,  together 
with  a  few  slaves  that  should  conduct  the  caravan 
to  its  destination;  I  also  hired  a  free  man  for  a 
leader,  as  he  was  acquainted  with  the  road. 

"By  this  time  it  was  nearly  dark.  I  had  given 
orders  (in  order  to  conceal  my  movements)  that 
I  should  not  start  till  late  in  the  week,  but  I  had 
also  given  a  child  a  small  coin  to  come  up  to  me, 

196 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

upon  a  signal,  with  a  piece  of  paper  folded,  upoii 
which  indeed  nothing  was  written.  Just  as  the 
camels  were  being  driven  off  to  their  litter,  I 
signalled  to  the  child,  who  ran  up  and  gave  me  the 
note.  I  opened  it  before  the  head  man,  put  on  an. 
air  of  great  perturbation,  and  said,  *  This  message 
changes  all  my  plans !  I  fear  I  disturb  you,  but 
will  you  start  out  to-night  ? ' 

'^  'Willingly,'  said  he.  'We  have  provisions, 
and  I  know  a  good  place  on  the  road  where  we 
can  purchase  more  to-morrow.  The  weather  is 
warm  and  if  your  business  demands  haste,  it  may 
be  better  to  march  during  the  cool.'  The  slaves 
(who  were  not  consulted)  were  no  doubt  agreeable 
enough.  We  set  out  and  all  that  night  went  our 
way. 

*'It  was  a  monotonous  journey  through  an  arid 
land,  with  few  towns  or  villages,  sufficient  water- 
ing, but  no  more.  Though  I  pressed  the  pace  we 
lost  no  beasts,  and  on  the  twelfth  day,  with  the 
cool  of  the  evening,  we  reached  Laknes. 

* '  My  camels  were  parked,  I  took  my  place  in  the 
chief  inn  of  the  city  (under  the  name  of  IshmaTl- 
of-Taftah,  merchant),  and  my  first  act  before 
ordering  a  meal  was,  again,  from  the  very  bottom 
of  my  heart,  to  thank  Allah  for  the  return  of 
his  mercies.  My  capital  was,  indeed,  nearly 
exhausted.  I  had  but  a  few  pieces  of  gold  left  in 
my  garment,  and  the  pouch  was  empty ;  but  there 
was  my  solid  row  of  camels  and  my  fine  cargo  of 
dates.  I  made  no  doubt  I  should  sell  at  a  good 
profit  next  day  and  that  my  career  was  once  more 
launched.  I  took  care  to  speak  to  all  openly  of 
my  arrival,  to  hint  at  my  wealth,  to  make  all 

197 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

familiar  with  the  name  of  Ishmail-of-Taftah,  a 
merchant  in  dates  which  it  was  proposed  to  offer 
next  day  in  the  market.  For  there  are  occasions, 
my  dear  nephews,  in  commerce  when  it  is  per- 
fectly advisable  to  tell  the  truth  and  even  to 
spread  it  abroad/' 

With  these  unexpected  words  the  merchant 
Mahmoud  suddenly  ceased  his  tale,  for  the  shriek 
of  the  Muezzin  was  heard  rending  the  air.  The 
nephews  rose  and  bowed.  **We  trust,"  said  the 
eldest,  ''that  when  we  next  appear  we  shall  find 
you,  my  dear  uncle,  climbing  from  greatness  to 
greatness  in  the  story  you  still  have  to  unfold.'* 

**Alas,  my  children,"  answered  the  venerable 
sage,  ''I  fear  you  must  hear  of  other  disappoint- 
ments before  the  goal  is  reached!" 

At  this  the  youngest  boy  put  forth  his  lower 
lip,  which  trembled,  and  began  screwing  up  his 
eyes. 

' '  Stop ! ' '  said  the  merchant  testily.  ' '  Stop !  My 
little  fellow !    I  have  had  enough  of  this  I ' ' 

''Oh,  Uncle,"  sobbed  the  boy,  "I  cannot  bear  to 
think  that  perhaps  all  that  new  wealth  will  be 
stolen  from  you. ' ' 

"Stop,  I  say  I"  shouted  Mahmoud  angrily,  and 
half-rising,  "I  tell  you  I  have  had  enough  of  it! 
I  appreciate  your  motive.  I  admire  your  judg- 
ment. It  is  marvellous  in  so  young  a  child.  But 
I  cannot  be  disturbed  with  useless  tears  at  things 
so  long  past.  You  show  too  great  a  sympathy. 
lYou  are  too  sensitive  my  dear." 

The  child  saluted,  assumed  a  more  equable 
appearance,  and  followed  his  brothers  out  of  the 
room,    while    Mahmoud,    his    equipoise    a    little 

198 


AL-BUSTAN,  OR  THE  ORCHARD 

disturbed  by  the  incident,  set  himself  right  by  the 
simple  process  of  drawing  from  one  sleeve  a 
handful  of  coins  and  counting  them  out  slowly 
into  the  other:  a  pastime  which  never  failed  to 
restore  him  to  the  best  of  tempers. 


c>^^  J,  c^^^ 


AL-JAMAL  AYA'L-NAKHL 

That  is : 
Camels  and  Dates 


CHAPTER  IX 

ENTITLED  ALJAMAL  WA'L  NAKHL,  OR  CAMELS 
AND  DATES 

WHEN  the  hour  of  public  execution  had 
arrived  the  boys  came  timorously  into  their 
rich  uncle's  presence,  and  seating  themselves 
upon  the  expensive  carpet  at  the  feet  of  his 
divan,  prepared  to  hear  the  continuation  of  his 
adventures. 

That  excellent  old  man  began  as  follows : 
*'I  warn  you,  my  children,  that  the  path  to 
wealth,  which  (by  the  Mercy  of  Allah)  I  have  been 
allowed  to  tread,  is  varied  and  difficult.  Profit  by 
my  misadventures !  Remain  determined  to  enrich 
yourselves,  even  after  the  worst  mishaps!  Yea! 
After  wealth  and  poverty  (like  mine)  renewed 
wealth  and  (alas!)  renewed  poverty  never 
despair.  Still  hold  to  gold  and  still  determine 
your  fate.  Still  thirst  for  money.  But  all  the 
while  most  reverently  worship  Him  the  Supreme, 
the  All-compelling,  the  Giver  of  Great  bags  of 
coin.  No  talent  in  the  deception  of  individuals 
or  the  gulling  of  the  crowd  can  of  itself  bring 
the  great  reward.  The  acquirement  of  those 
immense  sums  which  are  the  chief  glory  of  man, 
is,  like  all  else,  in  the  Hand  of  God. 

**My  brother,  your  worthy  though  impecunious 
father,  has  sufficiently  grounded  you  in  the  essen- 
tials of  our  holy  religion.  You  will  not  repine  if 
you  turn  out  to  be  one  of  the  ninety-nine  who  end 

203 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

their  lives  in  the  gutter,  rather  than  the  blessed 
hundredth  who  attains,  as  I  have  attained,  to 
the  possession  of  a  palace  and  of  innumerable 
slaves.  ..." 

Having  so  spoken  the  aged  merchant  bent  for  a 
moment  in  silent  prayer  and  then  proceeded : 

''You  will  remember  that  at  the  conclusion  of 
my  last  adventure  I  had  reached  a  position,  not  of 
affluence,  but  at  least  of  tolerable  fortune.  I  was 
possessed  of  a  train  of  camels,  each  heavily  laden 
with  two  large  panniers  of  dates,  and  drivers  to 
conduct  the  whole. 

' '  You  will  further  remember  how,  on  my  arrival 
in  Lanknes,  as  I  was  anxious  to  make  the  best  of 
my  time  I  spoke  freely  to  all  of  my  merchandise, 
extolled  its  character,  described  how  I  intended 
to  put  it  up  for  sale  next  day  in  the  public  markets, 
and  spread  abroad  the  name  of  Ishmail-of-Taftah 
which  happened  for  the  moment  to  be  mine. 

"The  rumour  spread  (as  I  had  intended  it 
should).  I  strolled  through  the  narrow  streets 
of  the  town  after  sunset,  and  was  glad  to  hear  my 
arrival  discussed,  and  my  wares.  I  had  promise 
for  the  morrow.    I  returned  to  my  men. 

"I  had  already  spread  out  my  bed  upon  the 
corner  of  the  yard,  when  there  came  up  a  slave 
magnificently  dressed,  who  bowed  to  the  ground, 
and  approaching  my  presence  asked  whether  he 
had  the  honour  and  felicity  to  address  the 
reno^vned  merchant  Ismail.  He  bore  an  invitation 
from  the  greatest  merchant  in  the  city,  whose 
name  I  had  already  heard  half  a  dozen  times  in 
Taf tah,  and  whom  all  the  merchants  there  revered 
from  afar  for  his  enormous  riches:  a  certain 

204 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

Yusouff  ben  Ahmed,  also  called  'El-Zafari,'  or 
the  Triumphant. 

' '  Late  as  was  the  hour  I  purchased  finery ;  with 
my  last  gold  I  hired  a  donkey  of  strange  magnifi- 
cence, and  arrived  at  the  palace  of  Yusuoff, 
dressed  in  a  fashion  which  I  could  ill  afford,  but 
which  I  regarded  as  an  investment. 

''I  had  expected  to  find  within  this  palace  that 
admirable  simplicity  of  manner  which  is  insepar- 
able from  really  great  wealth:  Nor  was  I 
disappointed.  The  inner  room  to  which  I  was  led, 
encrusted  everywhere  with  black  marble,  boasted 
no  ornament  save  three  white  alabaster  jars  as 
tall  as  a  man  and  of  immense  antiquity.  They 
had  formerly  been  the  property  of  a  young  noble 
whom  Yusouff  had  ruined,  and  he  had  them  of 
the  Sultan.  In  the  midst  shone  the  single  pure 
flame  of  a  massive  silver  lamp,  rifled  from  the 
tomb  of  a  saint.  It  now  hung  dependent  from  a 
chain  of  the  same  metal,  the  height  of  which  was 
lost  in  the  gloom  of  the  lofty  cupola. 

'*  A  fountain  of  scented  water — I  could  not  name 
its  odour  precisely,  but  I  guessed  it  to  be  Fior 
de  Goyim — plashed  gently  into  a  basin  of  por- 
phyry at  the  end  of  the  apartment. 

''Yusouff  and  two  other  guests  (who  alone  had 
been  asked  to  meet  me),  rose  from  the  exceedingly 
costly  rugs  of  Persia  whereon  they  had  reclined, 
and  gravely  saluted  me.  The  master  of  the  house, 
after  the  first  salutations  and  an  invocation  upon 
my  head  of  the  Mercy  of  Allah,  told  me  that  the 
feast  was  ready  prepared,  but  that  before  sum- 
moning it  he  would  ask  me  to  honour  the  house 

205 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

and  survey  what  poor  ornaments  lie  might  be 
able  to  show  me. 

''I  was  expressly  delighted  at  his  tone.  It  was 
that  which  1  had  already  heard  to  be  native  to 
princes  of  commerce.  He  had  already  acquired, 
in  the  few  years  that  had  elapsed  since  he  had 
cleaned  the  streets  for  a  living,  a  well-bred 
restraint  of  gesture,  and  when  he  spoke  it  was  in 
the  tone  of  one  who  thought  negligible  the  whole 
world,  including  his  guest.  I  prayed  fervently, 
as  I  accompanied  the  leisurely  steps  of  my  great 
entertainer,  that  when  I  should  have  achieved  a 
similar  fortune  I  should  myself  as  quickly  acquire 
this  distinctive  manner  of  the  great.  I  watched 
him  narrowly  in  order  to  imitate  (when  I  should 
have  left  his  presence)  those  peculiar  little  details 
which  mark  affluence  and  are  of  such  service  in 
negotiation.  He  would  often  interpose  words  of 
his  own  into  the  midst  of  another's  sentence.  It 
pleased  him  not  to  answer  some  repeated  question. 
He  would  change  the  conversation  at  his  pleasure 
without  too  much  regard  for  what  I  might  have 
been  saying  immediately  before.  He  also  turned 
to  another  guest,  while  I  was  addressing  him  and 
in  every  way  showed  his  superiority. 

"When  we  had  sat  down  to  meat  I  was  further 
edified  by  the  varied  information,  the  extensive 
culture  of  my  host.  He  would  lead  the  talk  on  to 
some  subject  which  he  had  recently  acquired  from 
his  numerous  secretaries,  and  dally  upon  it  at  a 
length  which  would  have  been  tedious  in  one  of 
lesser  station.  But  all  this  was  done  with  such 
an  air  of  money  that  it  was  impossible  to  feel  the 
slightest  tedium,  though  his  minute  description  of 

206 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

things  which  we  all  knew  by  heart  extended  more 
than  once  to  a  full  quarter  of  an  hour. 

"During  the  progress  of  this  divine  repast  I 
noted  with  pleasure  that  the  distinguished  master 
of  the  house  never  once  introduced  the  subject  of 
my  affairs. 

^'I  would  have  you  remember,  my  dear 
nephews,"  said  Mahmoud  at  this  point,  "that 
nothing  is  less  pleasing  in  a  merchant,  especially 
in  one  of  approved  success,  than  the  introduction 
of  profit  and  loss  at  a  meal;  for  profit  and  loss 
are  of  such  profound  importance  that  their  mere 
mention  must  distract  from  the  legitimate  pleas- 
ures of  the  table. 

"It  was  not  until  a  late  hour,  when  the  two  other 
guests  (whose  insignificant  names  I  have  not 
attempted  to  retain)  had  arisen  to  depart,  that 
affairs  began. 

"With  the  subtle  tact  of  commercial  genius  my 
host  retained  me,  gripping  my  arm.  I  ventured  in 
the  absence  of  any  witness  to  say  a  few  words 
upon  what  was  nearest  my  heart:  I  asked  him 
'How  were  dates?' 

"To  my  delight  he  proved  affable.  He  unbent 
in  a  degree  unworthy  of  so  small  an  occasion  and 
listened  with  the  greatest  attention  to  my  simple 
tale.  I  told  him  frankly  that  I  had  with  me  at 
the  moment  but  few  camels  (I  was  under  no  neces- 
sity to  confess  that  I  had  not  another  asset  in 
the  world).  I  suggested  by  my  negligent  tone 
that  such  a  number  could  hardly  be  called  a 
caravan  and  was  little  more  than  a  distraction 
with  which  I  amused  myself  on  my  travels.  I 
then  dropped  the  fact  that  I  had  loaded  them — 

207 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

more  as  a  pastime  than  anything  else — with  a  few 
dates. 

''At  this  second  mention  of  the  word  'dates* 
the  face  of  Yusouff-the-Blessed  suddenly  changed. 
He  at  first  cast  his  eyes  down  in  an  expression  of 
real  concern.  Then,  looking  up  at  me  anxiously 
and  steadily,  he  said : 

"  'This  is  no  affair  of  mine.  .  .  .  You  may 
resent  my  interference. ' 

''I  assured  him  that  I  desired  nothing  more 
than  a  hint  from  one  so  favoured  of  Heaven. 
How  I  had  better  dispose  of  my  trifling  merchan- 
dise t  I  was  more  anxious  to  hear  his  reply  than 
it  is  possible  to  say! 

"He  sighed  heavily,  shook  his  head,  and 
answered  with  a  certain  famiharity  that  I  could 
not  resent: 

"  'My  poor  friend  .  .  .!' 

*'He  then  sighed  again  and  added: 

*'  'I  really  do  not  see  how  I  can  advise  you.  .  .  . 
The  truth  is  that  dates  will  from  henceforth  be 
almost  unsaleable  here.  There  has  lately  taken 
place — indeed  it  was  but  last  week — an  extraor- 
dinary thing.  The  mother  of  our  Emir — the 
dowager — ^has  left  by  will  the  whole  of  her 
immense  date  groves  in  trust  to  the  nation  with 
orders  that  regular  weekly  distribution  shall  be 
made  free  to  all  the  citizens.  We  are  bidden 
praise  her  generosity  and  the  masses  are  of  course 
delighted.  But  it  is  ruin  for  the  poor  merchants 
whose  stock  of  dates  are  now  so  much  dross. 
They  cannot  sell  to  our  neighbours  in  the  country 
over  the  border,  for  these  hold  dates  to  be  evil 
from  their  effect  in  giving  the  toothache.    Their 

208 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

new  law,  called  the  Date  Prohibition  Act,  is  of  the 
most  rigorous  kind.  I  have  myself  (from  a  sense 
of  public  duty)  bought  up  the  greater  portion  at 
a  ruinous  loss  to  prevent  the  failure  of  smaller 
men  and  to  avoid  a  panic.  I  have  sacrificed  myself 
to  the  public  good. '  He  sighed  heavily  once  more 
and  was  silent. 

'*  You  may  imagine,  my  dear  nephews,  the  effect 
of  this  news  upon  your  unfortunate  uncle !  The 
panniers  of  dates  (two  for  each  camel)  were, 
save  the  animals  themselves,  all  that  I  had  in  the 
world.  I  had  traversed  the  waste  at  the  cost  of 
much  labour,  infinite  privation,  and  mortal  perils, 
precisely  because  this  district  had  the  reputation 
of  being  by  far  the  best  market  for  dates,  and 
here  was  I,  with  an  enemy  left  behind  me,  alone 
in  the  world,  and  my  sole  venture  ruined.  ...  I 
remembered  my  dreadful  poverty,  only  so  recently 
past,  and  I  shuddered  as  I  considered  those  unsale- 
able dates  and  my  black  future !  Before  me  was  a 
country  where  dates  were  rigorously  forbidden 
by  law ;  behind  me  a  hue  and  cry.  Despair  was  in 
my  heart ! 

'  *  Though  I  trust  I  have  a  sufficient  degree  of  the 
arts  essential  to  our  profession,  Yusouff  must 
have  guessed  my  thoughts.  Ignoring  my  former 
statement  that  the  goods  I  had  with  me  were  but 
a  toy,  and  that  I  was  indifferent  to  their  fate,  he 
expressed  the  deepest  sympathy  with  my  plight 
and  begged  me  to  bear  with  him  while  he  reflected 
within  himself  how  he  might  be  of  service. 

''Having  said  this  he  covered  his  face  with  hie 
right  hand,  bowed  his  head,  leant  his  elbow  upon 
his  knee,  and  for  some  moments  was  plunged  in 

209 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

what  merchants  use  as  thought.  When  he  raised 
his  face  I  was  shocked  to  see  how  haggard  it  had 
become,  and  I  marvelled  that  one  so  circumstanced 
should  care  so  much  for  the  chance  misfortunes 
of  a  stranger.  But  I  had  read  that  these  Princes 
of  Commerce  were  often  of  tenderest  heart  and 
that  one  should  never  be  surprised  at  any  freak 
of  generosity  on  their  part. 

**  Judge  therefore  of  my  delight  on  hearing 
Yusouff  say  in  a  determined  voice  that  he  had 
concluded  upon  the  only  issue  and  that  he  would 
purchase  my  dates  himself ! 

**  *I  cannot'  (he  frankly  added)  *give  you  as 
good  a  price  even  as  I  could  have  given  a  day  or 
two  ago;  the  old  Queen's  idea  of  free  dates  has 
swamped  everything.  But  I  will  pay  a  good 
quarter  of  the  customary  price — which  is  far  more 
than  you  now  could  obtain  elsewhere.  I  am  very 
wealthy.  You  are  a  stranger  and,  as  it  were,  our 
guest  in  this  town.  A  good  deed  is  never  thrown 
away.  Perhaps  some  day  I  shall  be  glad  of  your 
aid  also.  I  have  seen  you  a  few  hours  only,  but 
I  think  we  know  each  other's  hearts  already. 
Moreover,  I  do  not  conceal  it  from  you,  I  may 
save  much  of  the  loss.  I  have  special  correspond- 
ents in  distant  towns,  and  opportunities  of  sale 
which  others  do  not  possess.  .  .  .  Come!  I'll  do 
it !  I  will  offer  you  this  price  of  one-third.  It  is 
but  a  poor  price,'  said  he,  sighing  yet  again  most 
heavily,  *but  it  is  far,  far  better  than  no  price  at 
all.' 

**My  relief  was  beyond  words.  I  had  seen 
myself  leaving  my  merchandise  unsold  or  sacri- 
ficing it  at  a  ruinous  nothing.    That  which  Yusouff 

210 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

offered  me  was  the  difference  between  despair  and 
a  shred  of  hope,  and  though  the  loss  was  severe  it 
left  me  at  least  with  some  capital  for  a  further 
venture. 

'^  Great  men  have  a  sort  of  simplicity  in  their 
dealings.  Hardly  had  Yusouff  discovered  my 
gratitude  and  my  immediate  acceptance  of  his 
gift  (for  I  could  call  it  by  no  other  name),  than 
the  princely  fellow  clapped  his  hands,  sent  for 
his  treasurer,  and  had  counted  to  me  upon  the 
spot  a  hundred  pieces  of  gold.  I  gave  him  my 
writing  of  delivery,  which  he  handed  to  another 
slave  with  a  few  words  in  a  low  voice.  Then  he 
continued  to  talk  to  me,  for  he  was  determined 
to  detain  me  far  into  the  night.  Indeed  it  was 
near  dawn  before  he  whom  I  will  now  call  my 
friend,  and  to  whom  I  felt  bound  for  life  by  the 
greatest  ties  of  grateful  affection,  allowed  me  to 
pass  his  gates  and  to  return  to  my  hostelry. 

''There  I  found  that  my  panniers  had  already 
been  removed  and  their  contents  conveyed  to  the 
purchaser's  warehouse.  I  admired  the  prompti- 
tude in  business  which  so  often  accompanies  a 

generous  heart. 

*  *  *  •  • 

''With  the  early  hours  of  the  next  day,  before 
the  sun  had  yet  acquired  too  great  power,  I 
strolled  through  the  bazaar,  not  so  much  cast 
down  at  the  thought  of  my  loss  as  cheered  by  the 
recollection  that  I  possessed,  after  all,  one  hun- 
dred good  pieces  of  solid  gold. 

"With  a  malicious  pleasure  I  approached  the 
stall  of  a  fruit-seller.  Putting  down  a  small 
copper  coin  I  begged  him  for  a  handful  of  dates. 

211 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

'*  'I  need  not  full  measure,'  said  I,  'only  a 
handful  to  munch  as  I  go  along. '  For  I  knew  that 
in  the  state  of  the  market  my  penny  might  have 
purchased  a  gallon.  I  desired  to  show  a  neglect 
for  small  sums. 

To  my  surprise  the  fruit-seller  stared  at  me  and 
said: 

**  'Dates?  From  what  country  do  you  come 
that  you  ask  for  dates  in  our  town?' 

<<  *  Why ! '  said  I,  'is  there  not  a  glut  of  these?  I 
am  told  the  place  is  overflowing  with  them. ' 

"  'There  is  One-who- judge s, '  said  the  fruit- 
seller  resignedly.  '  But  as  for  dates — you  will  not 
find  one  in  the  whole  town;  our  last  month's 
arrival  was  pillaged  by  robbers  in  the  hills.  If 
you  will  but  procure  me  a  single  gallon  I  will 
readily  give  in  return  two  pieces  of  gold,  so  great 
is  the  demand.  Of  supply  there  is  none  whatever, 
nor,  alas !  any  prospect  of  such. ' 

*'I  was  so  bewildered  that  I  hardly  know  what 
next  I  said,  but  at  any  rate,  in  reply  to  it,  my  new 
acquaintance  told  me  that  there  were,  indeed, 
suspected  to  be  certain  dates  in  the  possession 
of  Yusouff-the-Triumphant,  'who'  (he  remarked 
aside)  'has  all  the  luck.'  He  next  said  it  was  also 
rumoured  that  Yusouff 's  slaves  had  been  seen  in 
the  last  hours  of  the  night  going  in  procession 
with  a  great  number  of  panniers  laden  on  mules 
towards  Yusouff's  warehouse,  and  those  who 
brought  the  news  swore  that  they  could  smell  the 
smell  of  dates. 

"  'But  beyond  that  smell,'  he  ended,  *we  have 
had  nothing  of  dates  in  the  place  for  three  weeks. 

212 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

And  if  you  understood  our  habit  in  the  matter  of 
food  you  would  feel  for  us ! ' 

''I  have  already  described  to  you,  my  dear 
nephews,  my  admiration  for  Yusouff-the-Trium- 
phant.  Long  before  I  had  seen  him  his  distant 
reputation  had  inflamed  me.  My  brief  acquaint- 
ance mth  him  had  exalted  that  feeling  to  what  I 
had  thought  the  highest  pitch.  But  now  it  passed 
all  bounds.  A  man  so  subtle  in  negotiations !  So 
ready  in  affairs!  So  rapid  and  conclusive  in  a 
bargain!  With  so  marvellous  a  command  of 
feature  and  of  tone!  A  man  (in  a  word)  so 
infinitely  my  superior  in  that  profession  of 
commerce  to  which  Allah  calls  ail  great  souls  and 
in  which  I  also  was  engaged !  Such  a  man  I  had 
never  thought  to  meet !  Nay — ^I  had  never  thought 
such  a  one  to  exist  upon  this  poor  earth.  I  could 
have  kissed  the  ground  upon  which  he  walked  or 
have  borne  upon  me  for  ever,  as  a  relic,  some 
thread  of  his  purse. 

'*  'Here,'  I  exclaimed,  'is  the  true  merchant! 
Here  is  the  model  of  all  that  a  man  of  affairs 
should  be!  Oh!  Mahmoud,  you  thought  yourself 
something  in  your  trade,  but  you  have  met  your 
master,  and  more  than  your  master!  You  have 
met  one  who  is  to  you  as  the  most  holy  of  saintly 
men  is  to  the  basest  of  the  Kafir.  There  is  none 
on  earth  like  him.  Allah  has  raised  him  beyond 
all  others. 

"But  it  is  not  enough,  my  dear  nephews," 
continued  the  old  man,  whose  eyes  were  now  filled 
with  a  sort  of  sacred  light,  "it  is  not  enough  to 
admire  those  who  set  us  great  examples.  We 
should  also  imitate  them.    I  determined  after  so 

213 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

rare  an  experience  to  follow  as  best  I  might  in 
the  footsteps  of  one  who  had  shown  himself  raised 
high  above  the  level  of  mortality. 

* '  *  Him, '  said  I  to  myself,  '  him  will  I  copy !  He 
shall  be  my  guide !  His  manner  and  his  tone,  on 
that  unforgettable  evening,  shall  be  my  exact 
model !  Then  perhaps  in  time  I  shall  do  as  he  has 
done  and  accumulate  so  great  a  store  of  money  as 
shall  put  me  among  the  greatest  of  mankind. ' 

**I  hastened  to  summon  my  slaves.  I  paid  my 
score  for  the  stabling,  and  as  I  looked  at  my  small 
capital  and  surveyed  my  beasts  I  hesitated  what 
I  should  do.  Yusouff-the-Triumphant  had,  by 
God's  special  grace  overshadowing  him,  got  hold 
of  my  substance.  Nothing  was  left  me  but  the 
camels.  In  such  a  strait  I  abandoned  the  thought 
of  men  and  turned  at  once  to  heaven.  I  lifted  up 
my  heart  to  my  Maker  and  prayed  for  guidance. 
He  that  has  never  for  very  long  abandoned  His 
servant  answered  my  prayer  with  singular  alac- 
rity, for  even  as  I  prayed  I  heard  two  men  who 
passed  me  muttering  one  to  the  other. 

*  *  The  first,  as  they  hurried  along,  was  saying  in 
fearful  undertones : 

* '  '  They  have  not  yet  a  camel  among  them !  Yet 
camels  they  must  have  or  the  terrible  sentence 
will  be  pronounced ! ' 

*'  'Yes!'  returned  his  companion  in  a  horrified 
whisper,  *I  fear  greatly  for  my  relatives  in  that 
town,  and  I  am  proceeding  there  to  make  certain 
that  they  shall  have  at  least  one  camel  in  so 
terrible  a  time !  For  if  a  sufficiency  of  camels  is 
not  there  by  to-morrow  noon  I  hear  they  are  all 
to  be  impaled!' 

214 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

"So  speaking  in  subdued  accents  of  terror,  little 
knowing  they  were  overheard,  they  walked  on 
while  I  followed  and  noted  every  word. 

*'My  mind  was  immediately  made  up.  I  con- 
tinued, with  stealthy  feet,  to  follow  these  two 
anxious  beings  who  were  so  engrossed  in  the 
coming  misfortunes  of  their  native  place.  At  last, 
when  we  had  come  to  an  empty  space  where  three 
streets  met,  I  caught  them  up  and  faced  them. 
Accosting  them  I  said : 

"  'Sirs,  are  you  bound  for  such  and  such  a 
place?'  (naming  a  town  of  which  they  could  never 
have  heard — for  indeed  it  did  not  exist). 

' '  They  stopped  and  looked  at  me  in  surprise. 

"  *No,  sir,'  they  answered  me  together,  'we  are 
bound  in  all  haste  for  our  native  place  which  is 
threatened  with  a  great  calamity.  Its  name  is 
Mawur,  but,  alas,  it  is  far  distant  from  us — a 
matter  of  some  twenty  leagues — the  desert  lies 
between,  and  we  shall  hardly  reach  it  within  the 
day  that  remains.  For  we  are  poor  men,  and  only 
with  fast  camels'  (at  this  word  they  glanced  at 
each  other  and  shuddered)  'could  the  journey  be 
accomplished  in  the  time. ' 

'I  thanked  them  politely,  regretted  that  I  had 
disturbed  them  for  so  little,  proceeded  with  tha 
utmost  haste  to  my  caravan,  inquired  the  road  for 
Mawur  (the  track  for  which  lay  plain  through 
the  scrub  and  across  the  sand),  and  hastened 
with  the  utmost  dispatch  all  that  burning  day  and 
all  the  succeeding  night  without  repose,  until  at 
dawn  I  passed  with  my  exhausted  train  through 
the  gates  of  the  city.  I  had  covered  in  twenty 
hours  twice  as  many  leagues. 

215 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

' '  Five  of  my  beasts  I  left  upon  the  road ;  and 
some  few  of  my  slaves — how  many  I  had  not  yet 
counted — had  fallen  out  and  would  presumably 
die  in  the  desert.  But  there  was  a  good  re- 
mainder. 

''Unfortunately  I  was  not  alone  in  my  venture, 
for  I  discovered  that  early  as  was  the  hour 
another  man  had  arrived  already  with  two  camels 
and  was  standing  with  them  under  the  dawn  in 
the  market-place.  Poor  beasts  they  were,  and 
bearing  every  mark  of  fatigue.  But  I  was  deter- 
mined upon  a  monopoly.  I  had  hoped  from  the 
conversation  I  had  overheard  that  not  a  single 
camel  would  be  present  in  the  place.  I  would 
secure  myself  against  even  the  slightest  compe- 
tition. I  approached  the  leader  of  the  two  sorry 
camels  and  asked  him  there  and  then  what  he 
would  take  for  his  cattle.  He  stared  at  me  for  a 
moment,  but  to  my  astonishment  when  I  offered 
him  for  a  be^^inning  the  derisory  price  of  ten 
pieces  of  gold,  he  accepted  at  once,  put  the  coins 
into  his  pourh,  smiled  evilly,  and  moved  off  at  a 
great  pace. 

' '  To  my  chagrin  there  approached  within  a  very 
few  moments  yet  another  peasant,  leading  this 
time  but  one  camel,  a  rather  finer  beast  than  the 
others.  I  hoped,  I  believed,  he  would  be  the  last. 
I  made  haste  to  follow  the  same  tactics  with  him 
as  with  the  first.  Like  the  first  he  took  the  five 
gold  pieces  without  so  much  as  bargaining,  but 
he  looked  me  up  and  down  strangely  before  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders  and  taking  himself  off  hastily 
down  a  side  lane. 

"And  then  (the  people  beginning  to  drift  into 
216 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

tlie  street  as  the  day  rose)  appeared  a  man  lead- 
ing not  less  than  ten  camels  in  a  file.  I  was 
seriously  alarmed,  but  I  bethought  me  of  my 
reading:  how  all  great  fortunes  had  been 
acquired  by  speculation,  how  caution  and  other 
petty  virtues  were  the  bane  of  true  trade.  I 
boldly  approached  him  and  offered  him  my  re- 
maining gold  for  the  whole  bunch.  Instead  of 
meeting  my  offer  with  a  higher  claim,  he  asked 
to  look  narrowly  at  the  pieces,  and  then  looked 
as  narrowly  into  my  face.  He  took  one  of  the 
gold  pieces  and  bit  it.  He  stooped  and  rang  it 
upon  the  cobble-stones.  He  determined  appar- 
ently that  it  was  good,  and  without  another  word 
took  my  gold,  appealed  to  those  around  us  as 
witnesses  to  the  transaction,  handed  me  the  lead- 
ing cord,  and  with  a  burst  of  laughter  ran  off  at 
top  speed. 

' '  Here,  then,  was  I  with  my  thirteen  new  camels 
and  what  was  left  of  my  original  caravan.  I  will 
not  deny  that  I  was  somewhat  disturbed  in  mind ; 
but  I  could  only  trust  in  Allah.  I  did  so  with 
the  utmost  fervour,  and  implored  Him  to  consider 
His  servant,  and  to  see  to  it  that  not  another 
camel  should  reach  the  town  before  I  began  to 
sell. 

**But  what  is  man?  What  is  he  that  he  should 
order  the  movements  of  the  Most  High? 

**I  lifted  up  my  eyes  and  saw  approaching 
down  the  narrowness  of  the  street  a  file  of  cer- 
tainly not  less  than  one  hundred  camels  led  by 
a  great  company  of  ragged  men  and  walking 
with  that  insolent  and    foolish    air    which    this 

217 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

beast  affects  and  which  at  such  a  moment  pro- 
voked me  to  rage. 

''Then  a  slave,  trembling  lest  he  should  give 
me  offence,  bade  me  come  apart  with  him  where 
steps  led  up  the  city  wall.  These  I  climbed,  and 
from  the  summit  I  saw  a  sight  that  broke  my 
heart. 

"For  there,  across  the  plain  that  surrounded 
the  city,  came  such  a  mass  of  camels  as  I  hardly 
thought  the  universe  contained.  They  came  in 
batches  of  twenty,  fifty,  two  hundred,  herds  and 
flocks  of  camels,  driven,  led,  ridden,  conducted  in 
every  shape  from  one  direction  and  another, 
through  the  desert  and  cultivated  land,  from  track 
and  path,  a  very  foison  and  cataract  of  camels. 
It  was  as  though  all  the  camels  of  Arabia,  India, 
Bactria,  and  Syria  had  been  summoned  to  this 
one  place. 

"And,  alas,  so  they  had!  or  at  least  as  many 
as  the  King  of  that  region  could  conmaand.  .  .  . 

"For  this  was  the  explanation.  ..." 

Here  the  old  man's  eyes  grew  dim  with  tears, 
his  voice  faltered,  and  in  spite  of  his  present 
riches  he  broke  down  at  the  recollection  of  his 
past  ill-fortune. 

"Oh,  my  dear  nephews,"  he  said  in  broken 
accents,  "hardly  will  you  believe  the  magnitude 
of  my  misfortune !  For  it  turned  out,  as  I  eagerly 
questioned  the  people  of  the  place,  that  a  war 
having  broken  out  against  their  King  on  account 
of  the  Date  Prohibition  of  which  I  have  told  you, 
that  ruthless  monarch  had  ordered  them  to  collect 
as  best  they  might  so  many  thousands  of  camels 
to  be  present  within  the  walls  by  noon  of  that 

218 


CAMELS  AND  DATES 

day,  or  suffer  massacre.  If  the  full  tale  were 
not  present  every  man,  woman,  and  child  would 
be  killed.  For  he  had  been  suddenly  alarmed  by 
this  declaration  of  war  and  caught  with  an  in- 
sufficient provision  of  sumpter  beasts.  His 
Emirs  had  advised  him  that  his  salvation  lay  in 
seizing  without  payment  every  beast  for  leagues 
around. 

*'In  proportion  as  my  soul  sank  so  did  the 
hearts  of  the  townsmen  rise,  to  see  the  number 
gradually  fulfilled.  By  noon  all  was  well  for 
them — but  very  ill  for  me!  The  officers  of  the 
king  arrived,  the  beasts  were  counted  and  set 
apart,  with  not  an  ounce  of  copper  to  pay  for  any 
one  of  them!  All  seized!  And  my  poor  herd, 
alone  and  in  that  vast  multitude,  suffered  the  fate 
of  all  the  rest,  and,  what  was  worse,  every  one  of 
my  slaves — all  were  taken  off  to  serve  as  drivers. 

"There  in  a  far  land,  alone,  I  stood,  with  not  a 
gold  piece  left  in  my  pouch  and  not  a  head  of 
cattle  to  my  name ;  once  more  quite  destitute. 

"I  spent  the  remainder  of  that  day  debating 
whether  to  hang  myself  on  a  beam  or  throw  my- 
self from  a  minaret.  The  arguments  in  favour  of 
either  course  were  so  evenly  balanced  that  the 
sun  set  before  I  could  decide  between  them,  and 
even  at  sunset  there  appeared,  through  the  Mercy 
of  Allah,  a  new  relief. ' ' 

''There  did?"  said  the  second  of  the  nephews 
eagerly,  but  before  his  uncle  could  reply  the  in- 
tolerable noise  of  the  Muezzin  was  heard  and  the 
boys,  rising  at  the  signal,  bowed  low  to  their 
uncle  and  were  gone. 


^Ua^ 


AL-HISAN 

That  is : 
The  Hoese 


CHAPTER  X 

ENTITLED  AL-HISAN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

WHEN  the  nephews  of  Mahmoud  once  again 
attended  their  uncle  at  the  hour  of  public 
executions  he  gazed  at  them  in  his  benevolent 
fashion,  again  stroking  his  long  beard,  the  better 
to  expose  the  jewels  upon  his  fingers,  and  con- 
tinued the  tale  of  his  fortunes. 

''You  left  me,  my  dear  children,  at  the  end  of 
my  last  recital  in  a  very  deplorable  condition. 
You  will  remember  that  through  the  superior 
business  ability  of  a  merchant  renowned  for  his 
organizuig  power,  grasp  of  detail,  sense  of  affairs, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  I  had  been  reduced  in  property  to 
a  few  camels  and  their  attendants,  and  that  even 
this  poor  remainder  of  my  fortune  I  had  lost 
through  a  miscalculation  of  the  camel  market  on 
the  eve  of  war. 

''Your  filial  affection  will  also  recall  the  bitter 
mood  in  which  I  hesitated  whether  to  precipitate 
myself  from  a  minaret  or  to  hang  myself  from 
a  beam. 

"Advantages  and  disadvantages  appeared 
equally  balanced  between  these  two  courses ;  and 
though  my  long  training  in  commerce  had  led  me 
to  make  rapid  decisions  (as  being  the  most  cer- 
tain way  of  forestalling  competitors),  yet  I  con- 
fess that  in  this  debate  I  stood  uncertain  for 
nearly  half  an  hour. 

223 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

**It  was  well  I  did  so;  for  in  that  half -hour 
was  manifested  in  a  triumphant  manner  the 
Mercy  of  Allah  to  them  that  fear  Him. 

*'As  I  stood  there,  among  strangers,  without 
one  single  coin  left  in  the  world  and  utterly 
devoid  of  credit,  with  no  knowledge  even  of  how 
I  should  get  food  upon  the  following  day,  I  heard 
cries  and  a  confusion  of  horses'  hoofs,  and  saw 
galloping  down  the  street  towards  me  a  very 
linely-bred  grey  horse,  with  flowing  mane  and  a 
loose  bridle.  It  bore  a  noble  saddle  of  Indian 
workmanship,  but  no  rider;  while,  some  hun- 
dreds yards  behind,  impotently  ran  and  gesticu- 
lated a  corpulent  man  who,  from  his  dress,  seemed 
of  some  wealth  and  consequence.  My  first 
instinct  was  to  catch  the  runaway  like  any  beggar 
and  restore  him  to  his  master  in  hope  of  some 
small  reward;  a  few  pence  that  might  buy  me 
food  that  evening  and  lodging  for  one  night. 

**But  the  beneficent  Creator  soon  put  other 
thoughts  into  the  mind  of  his  servant.  I  had 
caught  the  horse  indeed.  Its  panting  owner  had 
slackened  his  pace  and  was  coming  towards  me 
in  a  more  dignified  maimer — ^when  it  struck  me 
that  the  animal  (which  was  restive)  could  be  bet- 
ter controlled  were  I  in  the  saddle. 

**I  am,  my  dear  nephews,  as  I  have  told  you 
three  times,  no  horseman.  My  more  habitual 
steed  is  the  donkey  and  though  I  have,  since  my 
attainment  to  high  rank,  taken  part  in  cere- 
monial processions,  and  even  in  the  hunting  to 
which  His  Majesty  so  kindly  invites  me,  yet  I 
must  confess  to  you  that  whenever  I  have  to 
ride  now  I  take  care  to  be  provided  with  an 

224 


AL-HISAN,  OR  THE  HOESE 

animal  not  only  trained  in  tlie  most  exact  man- 
ner, but  also  previously  soothed  with  drugs. 

*'I  had,  however,  taken  to  the  saddle  when 
necessity  drove  me,  as  you  have  seen.  And  on 
this  occasion,  although  the  beast  was  infinitely 
more  mettlesome  than  any  I  had  yet  dared  to 
face,  I  took  the  risk.  Courage  was  granted  to 
me  from  on  High.  I  scrambled  into  the  saddle, 
but  found  that  my  control  of  the  creature  was 
no  better  than  it  had  been  when  I  stood  at  his 
head. 

*'I  cannot  swear  that,  in  the  bewilderment  of 
the  moment,  I  kept  a  sufficiently  tight  rein.  I 
will  not  even  swear  that  the  value  of  the  oppor- 
tunity was  lost  on  me.  I  certainly  remember 
delivering  several  violent  kicks  with  either  heel 
into  the  ribs  of  the  unquiet  brute.  There  fol- 
lowd  a  few  minutes  in  which  (under  my  direc- 
tion, I  must  admit)  he  seemed  to  be  gallopinj^ 
farther  and  farther  away  from  his  original  mas- 
ter, and  at  full  speed  down  the  main  street  of 
the  town.  I  heard  cries  arising  behind  me  on 
every  side,  and  upon  attempting  to  look  round 
(a  difficult  feat  for  one  so  unused  to  the  saddle) 
I  was  aware  of  a  now  considerable  mob,  in  the 
midst  of  which  I  saw  the  distant  figure  of  the 
horse 's  wealthy  owner  frantically  exclaiming  and 
gesticulating. 

"Nothing,  my  dear  nephews,  is  more  foolish 
than  to  treat  generously,  or  even  rationally,  an 
excited  crowd  of  human  beings.  All  historians 
and  philosophers  will  tell  you  that  man  in  this 
state  is  but  a  wild  beast,  to  be  fled  or  mastered 
according  to  our  abilities. 

225 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

**As  I  had  not  ability  to  master  them,  then  it 
was  clearly  my  duty  to  flee  them.  Moreover, 
even  as  I  urged  the  horse  to  further  efforts,  I 
confusedly  appreciated  what  difficulty  I  should 
have  in  explaining  my  position,  were  I  to  at- 
tempt to  return.  We  thundered  through  the 
open  gate  into  the  country  outside,  and  by  that 
time  I  had  no  course  but  frankly  to  take  the  track 
across  the  plain  and  shake  off  my  pursuers  for 
ever. 

**  Admire,  my  dear  nephews,  the  steps  by  which 
Providence,  when  It  desires  to  succour  one  of 
Its  favourites,  will  lead  him  through  one  conse- 
quence after  another  until  at  last  he  stands  secure 
in  the  possession  of  some  considerable  sum  of 
money !  Here  was  I,  not  ten  minutes  before,  con- 
templating death  as  the  only  issue  from  my  pov- 
erty, and  now  mounted  on  a  fine  steed,  seated  in 
a  saddle  of  price,  and  free  to  try  any  new 
adventure. 

''I  kept  my  handsome  mount  at  the  gallop 
until  the  gates  were  far  behind  me  and  all  echo 
of  the  confused  cries  of  my  pursuers  was  lost. 
I  checked  him  to  a  sharp  trot  until  we  had 
passed  the  first  low  rise  of  rolling  land  which 
hid  my  movements  from  the  city.  I  then  judged 
it  reasonable  to  proceed  at  a  pace  less  trying  to 
the  poor  animal  who  had  so  befriended  me.  I 
noted  from  his  freshness  that  he  could  but  re- 
cently have  left  the  stable.  I  did  not  hesitate, 
though  with  intervals  of  repose,  to  continue  all 
day  long  to  put  a  greater  and  greater  distance 
between  myself  and  that  unfortunate  misunder- 
standing which  I  had  left  behind  me. 

226 


AL-HISAN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

*'By  evening  my  many  hours'  acquaintance- 
ship with  my  horse  had  increased  my  pride  in 
his  possession,  and  I  turned  my  mind  away  from 
all  morbid  considerations  of  his  former  owner. 
My  only  anxiety  was  for  the  night.  Judge  there- 
fore of  my  satisfaction  when,  a  full  hour  before 
the  setting  of  the  sun,  I  found  myself,  on  emerg- 
ing from  a  considerable  wood,  facing  the  walls  of 
a  new  city,  the  gates  of  which  stood  about  a  league 
away  from  the  spot  whence  I  had  first  caught 
sight  of  it. 

''I  lingered  in  this  pleasant  pasture  at  the  edge 
of  the  wood,  loosening  my  horse's  girths,  unbri- 
dhng  his  bit,  and  letting  him  graze  at  large  on 
the  delicious  herbage. 

''I  reclined  myself,  for  repose,  upon  that  same 
grass,  and  mused  upon  the  distant  prospect  of 
domes  and  minarets  under  the  mellow  light,  my 
thoughts  naturally  turning  to  conjecture  what 
sums  I  might  acquire  in  cash  from  the  citizens 
within  those  walls  during  my  enjoyment  of  their 
hospitality. 

"The  sun  was  barely  set  when  I  rode  into  the 
town;  noting  on  the  walls  the  usual  proclama- 
tion against  the  eating  of  dates  and  receiving,  as 
was  due  to  one  riding  so  well-accoutred  and  so 
fine  a  horse,  the  respectful  looks  of  the  passers- 
by,  and  the  humble  but  prolonged  gaze  of  the 
guard  at  the  gate.  As  I  noted  their  attitude  I 
could  not  but  thank  heaven  for  one  more  mercy 
which  was  now  revealed  to  me.  Had  I  happened 
to  find  this  horse  after  some  days  of  misfortune 
my  own  outward  appearance  would  have  ill  con- 
sorted with  his.    How  manifest  was  the  dispeusa- 

227 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

tion  of  Providence  whereby  I  came  upon  him 
within  an  hour  after  losing  my  other  property, 
and,  therefore  while  I  was  still  in  my  decent 
merchant's  dress,  cleanly,  well-shaven,  and 
groomed ! 

''There  was  in  the  central  square  of  this  town 
a  runnel  specially  disposed  for  watering  beasts 
of  burden,  and  my  horse  (we  had  forded  but  one 
stream  in  all  that  day's  journey)  eagerly  ap- 
proached it.  I  fondly  patted  his  neck  and 
thought  with  pleasure  of  how  noble  a  friend  I 
had  acquired;  for  as  you  must  have  read,  there 
is  a  sort  of  affinity  between  man  and  the  horse 
which  readily  makes  them  intimate  after  even  a 
short  acquaintance:  especially  if  the  man  be  of 
a  business  turn  of  mind  and  the  horse  of  con- 
siderable value. 

''From  this  mood  into  which  I  had  fallen  while 
my  handsome  mount  was  taking  his  simple  re- 
freshment, you  may  guess  the  perturbation 
caused  me  when  I  heard  at  my  side  an  eager  voice 
deliberately  pitched  in  a  low  key  so  that  it  might 
be  heard  by  none  but  myself.  That  voice  was  full 
of  passionate  necessity,  and  was  asking  me 
whether  it  would  be  possible  notv — here — at  once, 
for  me  to  dispose  of  my  mount  to  a  man  whose 
life  depended  on  it. 

"I  turned  and  made  out  in  the  dusk  under  the 
shadow  of  his  cowl  (part  of  which  he  had  pulled 
over  his  features  to  make  a  sort  of  veil)  a  young 
man  whose  agitation  made  me  yearn  instinctively 
to  take  some  advantage  of  him. 

"  'Sir,'  he  whispered  hurriedly,  'my  request  is 
not  only  impertinent  but  extraordinary.    I  know 

228 


AL-HISAN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

that  you  will  not  understand  it.  I  can  only  im- 
plore Heaven  for  a  miracle.  My  time  is  very 
short.  I  know  not  how  far  my  pursuers  may  be. 
My  life  is  dear  to  me  and  still  dearer  is  my 
honour.  The  night  is  falling.  Here  is  my  oppor- 
tunity, which,  if  I  do  not  take,  all  is  over  with 
me.' 

''He  thereupon  passed  up  to  me  a  leather  bag 
upon  opening  which  I  could  see  in  the  fading 
light  a  quantity  of  gold  pieces,  and  he  accom- 
panied the  gesture  with  so  imploring  a  look  as 
explained  the  vastness  of  his  offer. 

*'Had  I  passed  through  any  series  of  adven- 
tures less  antonishing  than  those  of  the  last  day 
and  night,  I  would  not  have  listened  for  a 
moment  to  a  first  proposal.  I  would  have  at- 
tempted, as  was  indeed  my  duty,  to  raise  his 
price,  to  obtain  immediately  some  of  his  apparel 
as  well  as  his  purse;  and  if  possible  a  written 
promise  of  further  payment  as  well.  For  he  was 
distraught  with  fear  and  men  in  that  condition 
are  easily  squeezed.  But  the  rate  at  which  I  had 
been  living,  the  perpetual  succession,  first  of  un- 
fortunate and  then  of  fortunate  accidents,  showed 
the  manifest  finger  of  God  in  all  that  had  so  far 
favoured  me  since  the  morning,  and  strangely 
convinced  me.  Without  another  word  I  took  the 
bag  of  gold  and  dismounted. 

''The  young  man,  with  a  new  expression  such 
as  I  had  never  yet  seen  upon  anyone's  face,  said 
not  a  word,  no,  not  even  of  gratitude  to  his  bene- 
factor; turned  the  horse's  head  down  the  main 
street  of  the  town,  wisely  refraining  from  too 
rapid  an  exit  lest  his  passage  should  be  remem- 

229 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

bered,  and  went  at  no  more  than  a  sharp  trot 
through  the  gate  into  the  falling  darkness  without. 
The  last  I  saw  of  him  he  appeared,  a  dark  figure 
rapidly  dwindling  against  the  darkening  sky, 
framed  in  the  tiled  horseshoe  of  the  Bab-El-Soued. 
.  .  .  But  even  as  I  gazed  a  troop  of  mounted 
horsemen  thundered  past  me  and  passed  through 
that  same  gate  into  the  night. 

*'For  my  part  I  thought  no  more  of  him.  but 
turned  back  to  the  centre  of  the  town.  There  I 
was,  with  three  times  the  price  of  my  horse  in  my 
pocket,  and  thus  with  solid  ground  on  which  to 
stand  for  the  future. 

*'My  first  care  was  to  make  an  excellent  meal, 
my  next  to  discover  a  good  lodging  for  the  night. 
In  both  I  was  fortunate.  But  before  reciting  my 
last  evening  prayers  I  took  the  precaution  of 
informing  a  passing  patrol  that  I  had  had  a  horse 
stolen  from  me ;  for,  in  business,  no  opportunity 
should  be  neglected.  I  then  recommended  myself 
to  the  Divine  protection  and  fell  into  a  sweet 
repose. 

''Next  morning,  after  I  had  humbly  and 
devoutly  recited  my  early  prayers,  I  thought  I 
would,  before  proceeding  to  any  lucrative  task, 
divert  myself  a  little  so  that  I  might  later 
approach  serious  business  with  a  more  open  mind. 

' '  It  is  my  custom,  when  I  am  in  need  of  recrea- 
tion from  the  cares  of  commerce,  to  frequent  the 
criminal  courts  and  to  attend  the  sentences  passed 
upon  those  brought  before  them,  as  well  as  to  be 
a  spectator  of  the  ensuing  executions.  No  pastime 
affords  greater  relief  from  the  dull,  everyday 
round  of  buying  and  selling;  while  the  contrast 

230 


AL-EISAN,  OB  THE  HORSE 

between  one's  own  pleasant  position  and  that  of 
the  pauper  who  is  to  be  beheaded,  adds  a  zest 
which  I  recommend  to  all  men  of  affairs. 

**I  strolled,  therefore,  to  the  court  in  which  1 
had  heard  that  certain  criminals  were  to  be 
that  morning  briefly  examined  and  presumably 
dispatched. 

*' Great  was  my  surprise  upon  entering  to  find 
that  I  had  come  just  in  time  to  hear  the  last 
evidence  given  and  sentence  pronounced  upon  the 
same  yoimg  man  who  had  so  imprudently  bought 
my  horse  the  night  before!  Did  I  say  impru- 
dently'?— ^Well!  The  designs  of  Providence  are 
hidden  from  us,  and  it  is  not  for  me  to  judge 
another!  .  .  .  While  I  pitied  him,  therefore,  I 
had  nothing  to  reproach  myself  with,  for  I  had 
fulfilled  in  the  most  honourable  fashion  the  only 
contract  with  which  I  was  concerned  in  the  matter. 
The  pursuers  had  arrested  him  before  he  had 
left  the  city  more  than  a  mile.  He  stood  accused 
of  eating  dates:  a  practice  (you  will  remember) 
forbidden  throughout  all  those  dominions.  He 
had  been  seen  in  the  act  by  the  Sultan 's  officers  a 
week  before  and  his  name  and  description  had 
been  sent  round  to  every  city.  Indeed  a  troop 
was  hot  upon  his  trail  at  the  moment  he  had 
come  up  the  night  before  imploring  for  my  mount. 
Sentence  was  pronounced,  and  the  unfortunate 
young  man  was  led  out  to  execution. 

"My  natural  love  of  such  sights  would  have 
led  me  to  follow  him,  when  one  more  act  of 
Heaven  (I  dare  not  ascribe  the  inspiration  to  my 
poor  unaided  soul)  suddenly  put  an  exceedingly 
valuable  thought  into  my  mind.    I  addressed  the 

231 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

judge  in  a  loud  voice,  complaining  in  the  matter 
of  my  horse.  At  first  he  was  disturbed  and 
inclined  to  silence  me,  not  understanding  what 
plea  I  could  have  in  this  particular  case;  but  I 
made  bold  to  arrest  his  attention  and  told  him  that 
the  evidence  I  had  chanced  to  hear  proved  clearly 
that  the  horse  on  which  the  unfortunate  young 
man  had  tried  to  escape  was  one  stolen  from  me 
but  a  few  hours  before.  This  I  was  prepared  to 
prove.  The  officers  of  the  court  were  examined 
and  admitted  my  description  to  be  exact  as  to  the 
horse,  and,  what  was  a  clinching  piece  of  evidence, 
as  to  the  details  of  the  saddle,  the  workmanship 
of  which  they  had  noted. 

"I  informed  the  judge  further  that  I  had  ridden 
into  the  town  the  evening  before.  I  was  prepared 
to  bring  witnesses  from  the  guard  at  the  gate  who 
had  seen  me  pass.  And  when  these  were 
summoned  they  agreed  that  I  had  entered  riding 
a  horse  of  the  description  I  had  just  given.  I 
could  see  that  the  judge  inclined  to  the  justice 
of  my  plea ;  the  officers  of  the  court  naturally  fell 
in  with  his  mood ;  I  made  him,  I  think,  the  more 
gracious  by  my  assurance  that  I  would  not  dream 
of  making  too  exact  a  claim.  If  the  animal  were 
but  restored  to  me  I  should  be  satisfied,  nor  would 
I  ask  anything  for  dilapidation  or  loss  of  time.  I 
was  only  too  glad  (I  said)  to  have  been  of  the 
most  insignificant  service  to  the  court. 

''The  judge  now  smiled  upon  me  with  evident 
approval,  and  was  further  confirmed  in  his  deci- 
sion by  remembering  that  even  if  I  claimed  any 
compensation  it  would  not  come  out  of  his  pocket 
but  the  public's;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  this 

232 


AL-HISlN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

argument,  though  not  explicitly  put  forward,  was 
present  in  the  minds  of  all  the  officers  of  the  court 
as  well.  The  judge  therefore  ordered  that  the 
animal  should  be  restored  to  me,  and  was  pleased 
to  use  the  following  words.  They  are  not  my  own. 
I  am  not  responsible  for  them.  But  I  am  glad 
that  he  used  them. 

''  'This  honest  merchant,'  said  he,  'who  has 
given  a  very  clear  account  of  his  movements,  we 
are  in  some  fashion  beholden  to,  on  account  of  the 
temporary  loss  which  he  has  suffered  in  the  filch- 
ing of  his  mount  by  the  criminal  with  whom  we 
have  just  dealt.  He  was  indirectly  the  cause  of 
that  criminal's  arrest.  The  least  we  can  do, 
therefore,  is  to  give  him  his  property  back  with 
the  least  possible  delay.  I  order  that  the  animal 
with  all  his  accoutrements,  having  first  been 
properly  fed  and  groomed,  shall  be  restored  to 
him.' 

''I  very  humbly  bowed  and  thanked  the  court 
for  its  just  decision.  But  a  new  complication 
arose. 

"The  chief  officer  of  the  court,  the  captain  of 
those  who  had  arrested  the  young  man  (he  had 
by  this  time  lost  his  head,  so  that  there  was  no 
trouble  to  be  feared  from  that  side),  conferred 
with  his  colleagues  and  then  prostrated  himself 
upon  the  earth  before  the  judge,  begging  to  be 
allowed  an  explanation.  The  judge  assumed  a 
disturbed  expression  and  bade  him  be  brief.  He 
arose  and  admitted  with  evident  grief  that  the 
horse,  in  the  excitement  of  the  arrest,  and  in  the 
darkness  of  the  moment  (for  all  this  had  passed 
in  the  night),  had  got  loose  and  was  lost. 

233 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

*  *  Seeing  the  rising  anger  of  the  judge  I  hastily 
intervened.  I  said  that  I  yielded  to  no  one  in  my 
admiration  for  the  Mounted  Police  of  the  Anti- 
Date  force,  the  renown  of  whose  efficiency  had 
reached  me  even  in  my  own  distant  land.  I  said 
that  I  would  be  the  last  to  cause  the  least  injustice 
or  even  pain.  I  begged  that  his  Importance  (for 
such  was  the  simple  title  of  a  judge  in  that 
country)  would  overlook  the  unfortunate  accident 
whereby  my  horse  had  been  lost.  I  concluded 
by  saying  that  I  would  be  perfectly  content  with 
what  we  merchants  called  *a  minimum  valuation,' 
that  is,  a  payment  of  the  price  the  horse  would 
have  fetched  from  what  we  merchants  also  call '  a 
willing  seller.'  In  a  phrase  of  which  I  confess  I 
was  secretly  proud,  I  hinted  that  the  doing  of 
justice  in  this  matter  would  not  only  be  of  no 
charge  to  the  court,  but  even  of  some  profit  to 
them,  seeing  that  there  were  certain  to  be  fees  of 
transfer,  registration,  and  what  not.  As  a  layman 
I  was  ignorant  of  their  amount,  but  I  knew  them 
to  be  attached  to  such  affairs — all  out  of  the  taxes. 

*  *  The  judge,  the  officers  of  the  court,  and  every 
lawyer  present,  the  very  sweepers  were  moved  to 
action.  Sundry  papers  were  signed  (to  which  I 
put  the  name  of  Ali — it  was  the  first  that  occurred 
to  me).  I  was  paid  the  sum  of  thirty  pieces  of 
gold,  and  after  profound  obeisances  to  all  present, 
and  especially  to  my  benefactor  the  judge,  I  left 

the  court,  yet  richer  than  I  had  entered  it. 

*  *  *  •  • 

''My  children,  what  next? 
"It  is  a  universal  rule  in  commerce  to  foUow 
your  profits  and  cut  your  losses,  and  men  of  my 

234 


AL-HISAN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

profession  have  a  sort  of  instinct  which  tells  them 
how  long  the  tide  will  be  flowing  with  them  and 
when  it  will  turn.  I  decided  that  there  was  yet 
one  more  step  for  me  to  take. 

''The  arrest  had  taken  place  not  far  from  the 
edge  of  the  wood  whence  I  had  first  perceived  the 
city.  There  my  horse,  the  evening  before,  had 
found  good  pasture.  There  had  I  loosened  his 
saddle.  There  had  he  known  an  excellent  place 
of  repose.  Thither  did  I  wisely  suppose  my  lost 
friend  to  have  repaired.  I  sauntered  therefore 
out  of  the  city  as  though  engaged  upon  no  more 
than  a  stroll,  and  sure  enough,  a  league  away, 
under  the  trees  which  afforded  a  grateful  shade, 
the  noble  beast  was  reclining,  hampered  only  by 
his  saddle. 

**I  loosened  the  girths.  He  was  grateful,  and 
our  friendship  was  renewed.  But  though  my 
affection  was  increased  by  such  a  recovery,  I 
steeled  my  heart  for  what  I  purposed  next  to  do. 

''It  is  a  maxim  of  all  sound  business  that  a  thing 
should  be  sold  as  often  as  possible,  and  it  was 
clear  that  I  now  had  an  opportunity  of  selling  this 
charming  creature  for  the  third  time.  It  was 
equally  clear  that,  if  I  delayed,  the  opportunity 
would  pass;  for  the  story  of  my  appearance  in 
court  would  spread  through  the  city,  the  officers 
would  talk  with  their  friends  about  the  saddle 
and  the  description  of  the  animal;  I  might  even 
get  into  a  difficult  tangle  with  the  authorities. 

"But  the  whole  of  this  propitious  day  was  in  the 
hand  of  Heaven.  For,  while  yet  the  sun  was 
high,  there  came  upon  me  through  the  pasture  a 
shepherd  driving  his  sheep,  and  to  him  I  told  a 

235 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

tale  that  I  had  been  sent  by  my  master  to  sell  the 
horse  I  was  leading,  and  his  saddle,  to  a  certain 
dealer,  who  had  already  seen  them  and  bargained 
for  them.  I  had  been  given  a  writing  with  the 
name  of  the  dealer  in  the  neighbouring  city,  but  I 
had  lost  the  writing  and  could  not  remember  the 
name  or  direction. 

''The  shepherd  told  me  that  he  only  went  to 
that  city  from  time  to  time,  but  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  it;  the  purchaser  could  be  none 
other  than  Abd-ul-Eblis. 

''The  moment  he  pronounced  this  name  I 
clapped  my  hands  together  and  said:  'Abd-ul- 
Eblis!  That  was  the  name!'  I  thanked  the 
shepherd  for  thus  refreshing  my  memory,  and  I 
carefully  walked  by  the  beast's  side  as  should  a 
mere  servant  by  his  master's  precious  possession. 
I  avoided  the  main  gate  (which  I  had  now  passed 
twice  and  where  I  might  be  too  well  known)  and 
entered  the  city  by  a  little  postern.  I  found  from 
inquiry  of  a  blind  man — which  was  the  more 
prudent — the  way  to  Abd-ul-Eblis 's  stables. 

"I  made  no  plan  of  what  I  should  do,  for  on 
those  days  when  I  am  specially  favoured  by  the 
Most  High  I  leave  His  Power  to  guide  me  .  .  . 
and  to  guide  also  those  with  whom  I  do  business. 
I  went  no  farther  than  to  tell  the  groom  that  T 
had  come  to  find  a  purchaser  for  the  horse — ^not 
indeed  in  this  city,  where  I  had  been  told  the 
market  was  poor,  but  in  a  place  two  days'  journey 
away,  where  the  news  of  the  famous  beast's 
coming  had  already  been  spread.  I  then  wandered 
out  into  the  streets  to  take  the  cool  air  of  the 
evening.     It  was  as  I  had  expected.     When  I 

236 


AL-EISAN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

returned  to  see  that  my  horse  had  been  well  fed, 
Abd-nl-Eblis  was  present  in  the  stable  and  eager 
to  deal. 

"He  pointed  out  to  me  the  advantages  he 
enjoyed  for  disposing  of  horses,  the  dangers  of 
the  distant  journey  of  which  I  had  spoken  to  the 
groom,  the  possibility  of  what  is  called  in  the 
language  of  that  country  *a  proposition/  He 
showed  me  what,  in  my  innocence,  I  might  have 
forgotten,  that  it  was  not  as  though  the  horse  was 
my  own.  That  I  could  only  be  a  gainer.  That 
my  master  would  be  none  the  wiser.  That  I  might 
pretend  any  accident  to  have  taken  place  (for 
indeed  such  an  accident  was  likely  if  I  went  on 
farther).  He  also  was  at  the  pains  of  repeating 
what  I  might  have  forgotten,  that  I  was  free  to 
retain  for  myself  some  portion  of  the  price, 
assuring  me  that  he  would  keep  silent  upon  the 
matter.  In  the  end  I  promised  to  hand  him  over 
the  horse  for  sixty  pieces  of  gold. 

''There  are  some  men,  my  dear  nephews,  who 
even  in  these  circumstances  would  have  begun 
bargaining  for  a  higher  price.  These  are  men 
who  love  the  making  of  small  sums  and  who  do  not 
understand  the  enormous  weight  of  caprice  and 
chance  in  human  affairs.  So  far  from  attempting 
to  get  a  higher  price,  I  expressed  my  gratitude 
and  said  that  for  my  part  I  was  quite  willing  to 
take  less,  but  that  I  somewhat  feared  my  master's 
anger  and  could  not  return  to  him  without  at 
least  fifty  pieces  of  gold,  adding  that  I  considered 
ten  pieces  a  sufficient  reward  for  myself.  At  the 
same  time  I  advised  Abdul  not  to  sell  the  saddle 
with  the  horse,  nor  did  I  omit  to  remind  him  that 

237 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

horses  of  a  light  colour  are  more  easily  dyed  than 
those  of  a  darker  hue. 

*'At  these  suggestions  of  mine  he  looked  upon 
me  mournfully  for  a  few  moments  and  then  slowly 
counted  out  sixty  pieces  of  gold.  I  took  a  long 
farewell  of  the  kindly,  patient,  and  beautiful 
animal,  which  had  borne  me  to  this  fortune  in  the 
short  space  of  one  day,  and  then  walked  forth 
through  the  city  into  the  evening,  preferring  the 
chance  of  a  lodging  in  the  forest  to  tempting 
further  the  singular  Fate  that  had  so  far 
befriended  me. 

''The  weather  was  warm,  the  neighbouring 
wood,  as  I  knew  by  experience,  hospitable.  There 
would  I  spend  the  few  hours  of  darkness,  building 
myself  a  small  fire  to  keep  off  the  beasts  and  to 
cherish  me.  Thence,  I  did  not  doubt,  I  could  the 
next  morning,  with  now  so  satisfactory  a  capital, 
proceed  to  the  re-edification  of  my  fortune. 

''I  reached  the  wooded  hill  which  overlooked 
the  city.  I  recited  my  third  night  prayers.  Before 
building  my  fire  and  disposing  myself  to  sleep,  I 
looked  at  the  outline  of  the  walls  and  domes  and 
graceful  minarets  against  the  last  of  the  evening, 
and  I  revolved  in  my  mind  that  thought  which 
shall  ever  be  mine  on  my  departure  from  any  town. 
Let  it  also  be  yours,  my  dear  children,  in  all  your 
travels. 

"For  just  as  when  you  come  to  a  new  city  of  a 
morning,  before  you  enter  it,  and  after  having 
prayed  God,  you  should  muse  within  yourself 
what  sums  of  money  you  may  hope  to  lift  from 
its  inhabitants;  so  when  you  leave  any  city  at 
evening,  never  omit  (after  due  thanks  to  your 

238 


AL-HISAN,  OR  THE  HORSE 

Creator!)  to  calculate  what  sums  you  have  indeed 
subtracted  from  those  to  whom  you  bid  farewell. ' ' 

As  the  old  merchant  ceased  it  was  like  the 
ending  of  a  strain  of  solemn  music,  the  echoes  of 
which  linger  and  continue  in  the  memory.  The 
strangely  moving  words  he  had  uttered  stirred  a 
profound  in  the  depths  of  their  young  souls,  and 
they  sat  with  bowed  heads  until  the  horrid  outrage 
of  the  Muezzin 's  call  murdered  that  sacred  silence. 

At  the  signal  the  lads  rose  and  filed  out  on  tiptoe 
leaving  their  uncle  with  his  eyes  closed  and  his 
lips  murmuring  in  prayer. 


u/ 


3^ 


AL-WALI 

That  is: 
The  Holy  One 


CHAPTER  XI 

ENTITLED  AL-WALI,  OR  THE  HOLY  ONE 

WHEN  the  hour  of  public  executions  had 
arrived  (they  were  more  numerous  than 
usual)  his  young  nephews  respectfully  assembled 
at  the  feet  of  the  aged  millionaire  and  received 
the  further  account  of  his  fortunes. 

'*You  might  imagine,  my  children,"  he  began 
*'that  having  this  small  capital  so  happily 
furnished  me  by  Providence  in  the  short  space  of 
a  single  day,  I  would  again  venture  upon  a 
commercial  undertaking.  That  would  have  been 
indeed  my  natural  course ;  but  you  must  remember 
that  I  could  not,  without  great  danger,  enter  the 
city  I  had  just  left,  lest  my  able  transactions 
should  lead  me  into  contact  with  those  at  whose 
expense  they  had  been  conducted.  Further,  I  was 
in  a  strange  country  with  no  knowledge  of  my 
way  and  with  nothing  to  guide  me  save  the  happy 
circumstance  that  I  was  still  within  the  boundaries 
of  our  holy  religion.  Most  of  those  I  should  meet 
would  thus  be  True  Believers,  whose  frailties  E 
could  better  understand  than  those  of  the  Kafir, 
and  of  whom  therefore  I  could  (under  the  aU- 
powerful  guidance  of  Heaven)  more  easily  take 
advantage. 

"Devoutly  remembering  the  signal  mercies 
shown  to  me  by  Allah  in  this  last  short  day,  I 
determined  to  follow  the  same  course  as  I  had 
when  my  good  fortune  came  to  me — to  lie  passive 

243 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

under  the  Mighty  Hand  directing  me  and  to  trust 
to  luck. 

*'I  took  some  sleep  in  the  night  beside  my  fire, 
but  hardly  had  I  awakened  at  dawn  when  I  was 
aware  of  a  group  approaching  me  through  the 
forest  track.  They  were  a  party  of  a  dozen  or  so, 
half  of  them  on  foot,  half  of  them  mounted ;  of  no 
great  consequence  if  one  might  judge  by  their 
clothing,  which,  my  dear  nephews,  is  in  most 
occasions  in  life  the  signal  by  which  we  may  know 
whether  to  revere  men  or  to  despise  them.  Both 
beasts  and  humans  in  this  group  were  travel- 
stained  as  having  come  from  some  great  distance. 

''As  I  saw  them  before  they  saw  me,  I  naturally 
took  the  precaution  of  creeping  up  behind  them 
through  the  trees  in  order  to  overhear  the  object 
of  their  journey.  It  appeared  that  they  were 
bound  on  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  a  Most  Holy 
Man,  to  obtain  his  oracle  in  a  matter  which 
concerned  their  miserable  village. 

''My  mind  was  at  once  made  up.  I  ran  back 
by  a  circuitous  course  through  the  trees,  came  to 
a  place  ahead  of  their  progress,  and  there,  spread- 
ing my  little  mat  upon  the  sward,  I  prostrated 
myself  in  prayer.  Indeed,  I  was  thus  able  to  kill 
two  birds  with  one  stone,  for  I  had  not  yet  said 
those  morning  prayers  of  the  True  Believer  which 
I  had  never  omitted  in  all  my  life,  save  when  I 
happened  to  be  flying  from  justice  and  therefore 
deprived  of  leisure. 

"As  I  heard  them  coming  up  behind  me  I  raised 
my  head  and  voice  at  once,  and  fell  into  a  perfect 
ecstacy  of  worship,  which  did  not  fail  to  impress 
the  simple  mountaineers.     They  halted  respect- 

244 


AL-WALI,  OR  THE  HOLY  ONE 

fully  until  I  saw  fit  to  terminate  my  conversation 
with  the  Most  High.  I  pretended  to  be  so  absorbed 
in  my  contemplation  of  divine  things  as  not  to 
notice  them:  for  to  keep  them  waiting  secured 
rehgious  as  well  as  worldly  respect.  They 
approached  me  with  deference  and  even  awe.  I 
told  them  I  was  bound  for  the  shrine  of  a  Most 
Holy  Man  whose  name  I  gave  them.  They  were 
overjoyed  to  discover  that  they  had  a  companion 
filled  with  the  same  sentiments  as  themselves. 

**  *We  also,'  said  their  leader,  'are  engaged 
upon  the  same  sacred  mission.  For  we  have  been 
informed  by  a  messenger  (whom  we  dispatched 
a  month  ago  from  our  village)  that  the  Saint  will 
graciously  receive  us  and  give  us  a  reply  upon  a 
doubtful  matter  of  wild  hedge-pigs  which  has 
greatly  excited  our  tribe,  whether  they  be  pork  or 
no.' 

''I  let  them  convey  by  chance  phrases  the  direc- 
tion we  had  to  travel  and  the  distance  of  our  goal. 
I  was  delighted  to  discover  that  our  way  did  not 
lie  through  the  city,  and  that  we  might  hope  to 
reach  the  Holy  One  before  night. 

''The  journey  was  tedious,  passing  over  burnt 
land  with  but  a  few  wretched  villages  upon  the 
track ;  but  by  the  late  afternoon  we  could  see  far 
off,  coloured  by  the  declining  rays  of  the  sun,  a 
small,  white-domed  building,  the  tomb  of  a  great 
saint  long  dead,  by  the  side  of  which  a  large  group 
of  tents  and  a  considerable  assembly  lying  out  in 
the  open  round  them  cooking  their  evening  meal, 
beasts  of  burden,  and  all  the  movement  of  a  camp, 
showed  us  that  we  were  reaching  the  term  of  our 
day's  journey. 

245 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

''When  we  reached  the  camp  I  joined  the 
thickest  part  of  the  throng,  separating  from  the 
group  with  which  I  had  been  marching.  I  made 
my  evening  prayers  in  as  conspicuous  a  place  as 
possible,  prolonged  them  prodigiously,  the  better 
to  impress  my  new  neighbours,  and  then  lay  down, 
uncertain  what  the  course  of  the  next  day  should 
be. 

"It  was  revealed  to  me  in  a  dream. 

**In  that  dream  there  appeared  a  bright  and 
beneficent  Being  who  with  one  hand  was  relieving 
of  his  superfluous  wealth  an  unconscious  pilgrim 
to  his  left,  and  with  the  other  was  conferring 
precisely  the  same  favour  on  another  to  his  right. 
Each  of  the  two  pilgrims  had  his  face  turned  away 
from  the  Blessed  Genius  thus  engaged  and  seemed 
unconscious  of  the  process  to  which  he  was 
subjected.  The  Glorious  Visitant,  without  inter- 
rupting its  occupation  or  ceasing  with  mechanical 
regularity  to  dip  its  hands  into  the  pouches  of 
its  unwitting  neighbours,  looked  upon  me  with  the 
most  benign  expression,  winked,  and  disappeared. 

"I  awoke.  It  was  yet  dark.  I  pondered  until 
dawn  what  the  revelation  might  mean.  With  the 
rising  of  the  sun  inner  as  well  as  outer  light  was 
bestowed  upon  me.  I  interpreted  in  the  following 
fashion  the  vision  that  had  thus  been  vouchsafed 
to  me  and  the  event  proved  me  to  have  divined  the 
right  reading  by  interpretation : 

' '  In  every  place  largely  frequented  by  pilgrims 
you  will,  my  dear  nephews  (if  your  commercial 
pursuits  lead  you  to  such  spots  in  after  life), 
discover  two  kinds  of  men.  There  are  those  who 
have  already  spent  their  all  under  the  influence 

246 


AL-WALI,  OR  THE  HOLY  ONE 

of  the  Spirit  and  are  about  to  depart.  These, 
being  in  a  necessity  to  raise  a  viaticum  for  their 
return,  will  eagerly  convert  into  cash  at  a  vile 
price  such  wretched  objects  as  remain  to  them. 
On  the  other  hand,  those  arriving  are  flush  of 
money  and  eager  to  acquire  holy  relics  and  memo- 
rials of  the  blessed  days  before  them. 

''With  two  such  markets  before  one's  eyes  and 
clamouring  for  exploitation,  all  that  is  required 
is  a  little  judgment  upon  which  is  which,  who  is 
who,  and  what  is  what.  Such  a  judgment  is  essen- 
tial to  any  commercial  success,  but  especially  to 
success  with  people  in  a  state  of  religious  exalta- 
tion. For  whereas  this  mood  often  conduces  to 
folly,  it  sometimes  so  supematurally  brightens  the 
inteUectual  faculties  of  devotees  as  to  procure 
most  cruel  rebuffs  for  him  who  attempts  to  take 
advantage  of  it. 

*  *  I  mixed  with  my  fellow-worshippers.  I  picked 
out  those  whom  I  judged  from  their  anxious 
expression,  coupled  with  their  preparations  for 
a  journey,  to  be  eager  sellers.  From  these  I 
acquired  at  prices  quite  surprisingly  small,  all 
manner  of  objects  —  sticks,  chaplets,  sandals, 
water-bottles,  rags,  and  cords — ^while  I  dexter- 
ously sheered  off  the  few  who  seemed  too  much 
inclined  to  bargain,  and  whom  not  even  a 
prolonged  residence  at  the  shrine  had  wholly 
purged  of  avarice.  The  remainder  were  quite 
sufficient  for  my  needs. 

"With  a  stock  thus  acquired  at  the  expenditure 
of  not  a  tenth  of  my  capital,  I  next  proceeded  to 
mix  with  the  more  prosperous  new-comers,  press- 
ing on  them  now  one  object  and  now  another 

247 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

(sandals,  lace,  rags,  bits  of  bone  and  leather), 
as  somethings  of  peculiar  sanctity,  either  as  dedi- 
cated to  the  shrine  of  the  Dead  Holy  Man  or  as 
having  touched  the  person  of  the  Living  One.  I 
discovered  a  very  brisk  market  indeed,  at  prices 
varying  from  a  hundred  to  a  thousand  times  the 
original  cost  of  the  rubbish.  To  each  bit  of  rag, 
bone,  or  what  not  I  was  careful  to  afiix  a  pedigree 
written  in  various  hands  and  proving  it  authentic. 

*'In  these  negotiations  I  was  careful,  at  the 
least  note  of  suspicion,  to  pretend  a  complete 
indifference ;  and  to  one  or  two  more  than  usually 
guileful  I  even  made  the  sacrifice  of  giving  a  yard 
of  used  cord  or  a  hopelessly  worn  sandal,  remark- 
ing as  I  did  so  that  Sacred  Things  should  not  be 
made  a  matter  of  traffic. 

"In  this  fashion  I  passed  four  days  so  absorbed 
in  the  interest  of  the  occupation  that  I  quite  forgot 
(it  was  an  error  on  my  part)  to  present  myself 
within  the  clamouring  line  of  those  who  daily 
demanded  the  opportunity  to  fall  down  before  the 
object  of  our  pilgrimage  and  to  offer  him  obei- 
sance. It  was  a  mistake  which  nearly  cost  me  dear, 
for  the  Holy  Man  had  his  hired  watchers  among 
the  crowd. 

**0n  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day,  as  I  was 
privately  counting  my  gains  under  a  secluded 
bush  where  I  hoped  to  be  unobserved,  I  was 
disturbed  by  a  smart  tap  upon  the  shoulder  and  a 
summons  from  an  aged  but  tall  and  still  strong 
man,  armed  with  a  formidable  bludgeon.  This 
person  bade  me  follow  him  without  comment,  and 
told  me  I  had  been  granted  the  singular  favour 
of  personal  access  to  The  Master. 

248 


'AL-WALI,  OR  THE  HOLY  ONE 

"It  was  with  mixed  feelings  that  I  accompanied 
my  guide.  We  elbowed  our  way  through  the  fore- 
most ranks  of  worshippers  to  that  inmost  place 
wherein  the  Holy  One  communed  with  his  Creator. 
They  envied  me  and  gazed  with  awe  upon  one  so 
privileged,  but  for  my  part  my  heart  sank  lower 
and  lower,  and  I  waited  in  something  approaching 
panic  the  interview  that  had  been  so  graciously 
afforded. 

* '  I  was  introduced  through  a  curtain  into  a  low 
hut,  wholly  devoid  of  ornament,  built  of  dried 
mud  and  lit  only  by  two  small  smoky  lamps  that 
stood  upon  the  floor.  I  dimly  perceived  before  me 
in  this  half -darkness  the  figure  of  a  very  aged 
man,  incredibly  emaciated  with  prolonged  fast 
and  vigil.  He  was  upon  his  knees  with  a  chaplet 
in  his  hands.  His  eyes  were  cast  upon  the  ground, 
which  his  long  but  sparse  white  beard  almost 
touched.  He  seemed  oblivious  to  all  the  external 
world,  and  was  plunged  in  profound  communion 
with  his  Maker. 

' '  The  attendant  in  low  but  angry  whispers  bade 
me  prostrate  myself,  which  I  was  not  slow  in 
doing;  and  in  that  posture  I  waited  for  a  space 
of  time  so  tedious  that  it  seemed  to  me  the  greater 
part  of  one  hour.  But  during  all  that  time  I 
dared  not  move;  for  though  I  had  never  visited 
this  particular  shrine,  I  had  heard  tales  of  what 
had  happened  to  those  who  underrate  the  Unseen 
Powers.  I  was  relieved  at  last  by  a  distinct  and 
hollow  voice  bidding  me  in  measured  tones  to 
rise.  I  arose,  and  found  that  we  were  alone.  The 
attendants  had  been  dismissed  by  a  gesture  while 
my  face  was  yet  buried  on  the  ground,  and  though 

249 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

I  have  no  doubt  that  they  were  within  earshot,  I 
suffered  the  added  awe  of  loneliness. 

''The  Holy  One  still  maintained  for  a  moment 
his  impassive  attitude  of  prayer,  then  slowly 
pivoted  round  on  his  knees,  turned  his  luminous 
eyes  upon  me,  and  sternly  asked  me  what  profit 
I  had  made  by  my  infamous  trade  during  the  last 
few  days.  I  felt  that  all  was  known  to  him.  I  did 
not  (I  thank  Heaven  for  its  mercies  I)  attempt  to 
deceive  him  and  thus  jeopardize  my  life  and 
reason.  I  told  him  the  full  tale  and  awaited  his 
sentence. 

''There  was  a  long  pause,  during  which  what 
little  was  left  of  my  courage  ebbed  away.  I  felt 
prepared  to  hear  some  short  sentence  of  doom 
and  resigned  myself  to  my  fate.  But  I  had  happily 
miscalculated  the  serene  wisdom  which  accom- 
panies holiness. 

' '  The  Saint  spoke  next  in  a  more  benevolent  and 
softer  voice,  bade  me  be  seated  cross-legged  before 
him,  and  adopting  the  same  attitude  pronounced 
the  following  remarkable  words : 

"  'The  Just,  the  Merciful  (Whose  name  be 
exalted!),  has  given  to  different  men  different 
aptitudes.  The  fool  attempts  that  of  which  he 
is  incapable.  The  wise  man  recognizes  his 
limitations. ' 

"In  the  silence  that  followed  I  turned  these 
weighty  phrases  over  in  my  mind  and  recognized 
excerpts  from  the  Proverbs  of  Mar-Hakim,  whose 
wisdom  has  been  collected  by  the  Persians,  and 
has  been  famous  since  the  times  of  the  second 
Omar. 

"After  a  short  interval  the  voice  continued: 
250 


AL-WALI,  OR  THE  HOLY  ONE 

**  *In  mutual  appreciation  and  in  mutual  bene- 
fits each  acquires  profit.  The  short-sighted  forfeit 
advantage  by  too  much  grasping.* 

**  These  words,  which  were  chanted  rather  than 
said,  I  recognized  to  be  from  a  totally  different 
collection  of  popular  sayings,  formerly  current  in 
Arabia,  and  reduced  to  writing  in  the  first  century 
of  Hegira  by  the  learned  of  Easht.  It  was  clear 
that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  man  unusually 
well-informed,  and  my  conviction  was  confirmed 
when  after  yet  another  solemn  pause  the  voice 
continued  as  though  in  conclusion: 

*'  'In  acquiring  money  there  is  profit,  but  in 
letting  it  slip  there  is  none  at  all.  * 

"This  last  jewel  of  wisdom  I  immediately 
recalled  as  part  of  yet  another  collection,  to  wit, 
the  Sacred  Books  of  the  Jews;  and  from  this 
further  example  of  immense  erudition  my  esti- 
mation of  the  Being  possessed  of  it  arose  to  the 
clouds. 

''After  such  a  preface  I  might  have  expected 
further  general  statements  of  a  moral  nature  from 
my  host,  when  suddenly  I  perceived  a  total  change 
in  the  tones  of  his  voice  and  a  similar  change  in 
his  attitude.  He  put  off  the  preoccupation  of 
religion.  He  took  on  the  tone  of  familiar  inter- 
course proper  to  temporal  affairs.  He  smiled 
genially  and  entered  upon  a  conversation  such  as 
one  might  enjoy  in  the  bazaar  of  any  city  or  in 
the  private  hospitality  of  any  merchant. 

"  'There  are  some,'  he  said,  'who  would  have 
blamed  your  conduct ;  and  in  a  sense  I  do  so ;  for  I 
cannot  excuse  your  passage  of  four  whole  days 
without  a  thought  of  heaven.    But  then,  we  are  all 

251 


THE  MEKCY  OF  ALLAH 

agreed  that  the  driving  of  a  trade,  especially  if 
it  be  remarkably  rapid  and  lucrative,  is  a  very 
worthy  occupation,  and  it  is  one  of  my  regrets 
that  my  professional  devotion  to  the  Other  World 
has  curtailed  my  own  activities  in  the  same  line. 

*'  'I  am  visited  by  thousands  of  respectful 
worshippers.  The  small  amounts  of  alms  which 
they  graciously  leave  with  my  treasurer  might 
easily  be  increased  by  various  commercial 
activities. 

"  'Indeed,  I  have  from  time  to  time  attempted 
to  establish  such  in  this  camp,  but  I  regret  to  say 
with  no  success.  I  opened  a  canteen  here  but  two 
years  ago  where  refreshments  were  sold  to  the 
new  arrivals  at  from  three  to  five  times  their 
value.  But  the  evil  servant  to  whom  I  entrusted 
the  management  of  this  concern  decamped  with 
the  whole  of  the  profits.  I  obtained  the  satisfac- 
tion of  having  him  put  to  death  by  a  distant  friend, 
but  I  was  never  able  to  recover  his  ill-gotten  gains. 

''  'At  another  time  I  entered  into  a  contract 
with  certain  brigands  who  hold  the  passes  of  the 
mountains.  It  was  clearly  understood  between  us 
that  they  should  hold  up  the  worshippers  return- 
ing from  my  shrine  and  that  one-half  of  the 
ransoms  they  collected  should  be  paid  into  my 
chests.  But  from  that  day  to  this  I  have  not 
received  a  penny. 

"  'On  yet  another  occasion  it  occurred  to  me 
that  I  might  fix  a  regular  tribute  to  replace  the 
voluntary  alms  which,  though  considerable,  leave 
room  for  improvement.  But  the  alarming  falling 
oif  in  receipts  and  the  dwindling  of  my  income 

252 


AL-WALI,  OE  THE  HOLY  ONE 

made  me  withdraw  the  order  within  six  months  of 
its  issue. 

*'  'All  these  experiences  combined,  my  dear 
Mahmoud,'  said  he  familiarly  (thus  showing  that 
he  knew  my  true  name  and  disturbing  me  not  a 
little),  'have  convinced  me  that  I  have  not  what 
you  men  of  affairs  call  ''a  business  sense."  T 
may  have  a  latent  talent,  I  may  even  have  a 
genius,  for  religion.  When  I  tell  you  that  I  some- 
times pass  three  days  without  changing  my 
position  of  prayer  and  without  taking  food 
or  drink,  the  whole  performance  watched  by  a 
great  crowd  of  astonished  faithful,  you  will  agree 
that  I  am  not  without  capabilities  of  my  own.  But 
I  am  reluctantly  convinced  that  what  the  Giaours 
call  ''a  good  nose  for  a  deal"  is  not  one  of  them.* 

''Here  I  began  to  interrupt  him  with  the  usual 
compliments,  and  would  have  assured  him  that 
any  man  of  ability  had  but  to  train  himself  for 
affairs  to  do  as  well  as  another,  when  he  genially 
stopped  me  with  a  gesture  and  said : 

"  'No,  my  dear  Mahmoud'  (again  the  use  of  my 
name  disturbed  me),  'whatever  else  we  are  let  us 
not  be  hypocrites.  Let  us  frankly  acknowledge 
our  limitations.  You,  as  I  am  now  convinced, 
know  how  to  sell  and  to  buy,  and  have  all  the 
qualities  for  discovering  the  dearest  and  the 
cheapest  markets.  Much  as  I  have  desired  to 
attain  to  the  same  faculties  I  have  failed,  and  at 
my  age  (which,  though  it  is  not  the  110  years 
reported,  is  at  any  rate  well  over  sixty)  it  is  too 
late  to  change.  I  will  therefore  make  you  what  is 
called,  I  believe,  in  your  world,  an  offer. ' 

**  (With  what  relief  did  those  words  fall  on  my 
253 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

ears!  I  did  not  realize  for  the  moment  how 
greatly  it  was  to  his  advantage  to  have  begun 
by  frightening  your  unhappy  uncle  and  what  an 
opportunity  this  had  given  him  for  negotiations !) 

*'  'I  will  make  you  a  proposition.  Think  care- 
fully over  it,  and  at  the  end  of  a  reasonable  time 
give  me  your  decision.  I  offer  you  two  alterna- 
tives. The  one  is  that  you  should  continue  your 
trade  subject  to  the  supervision  of  my  agents,  and 
that  when  you  have  reached  a  total  of  1,000  pieces 
of  gold  you  shall  be  impaled  and  the  money 
confiscated.  The  other  is  that  you  shall  continue 
to  use  your  evident  talents  for  the  furtherance 
of  this  trade,  but  that  I  shall  be  regarded  as  a 
sleeping  partner  in  the  same,  with  half  the 
takings.  The  choice  lies  with  you.  .  .  .  Pray, 
pray  take  your  time.  Undue  haste  has  spoilt  many 
an  excellent  business  contract,  and  I  would  not 
have  you  ruin  your  chances.  Do  not, '  he  continued, 
repressing  my  evident  anxiety  to  accept  his  terms, 
Mo  not  let  your  judgment  be  prejudiced  by  any 
feeling  of  obligation.  Think  the  alternatives  over 
carefully  and  then  let  me  know  your  conclusion. 
Take  j^our  time.' 

' '  Restraining  too  great  an  evidence  of  haste,  I 
told  him  that  my  mind  was  already  made  up  and 
that  I  would  be  honoured  to  accept  his  second 
offer. 

**  *I  think,  Mahmoud,'  said  he,  rising,  'that  you 
have  acted  with  wisdom,  though  perhaps  with  a 
little  precipitation.  Let  us,  then,  regard  the 
matter  as  settled.  Every  evening  my  servants 
will  call  upon  you  for  one-half  of  your  takings, 

254 


AL-WALI,  OR  THE  HOLY  ONE 

and  they  meanwhile  will  protect  you  in  every 
way.' 

**I  prostrated  myself  once  more,  kissed  the 
ground  at  his  feet,  and  left  the  hut  in  a  very 
different  mood  from  that  in  which  I  had  entered  it. 

**I  remained  in  the  camp  for  the  matter  of  about 
a  month.  I  extended  my  operations;  and  every 
evening  the  servants  of  the  Holy  One  attended  me 
and  I  handed  over  half  of  my  takings.  During 
the  whole  of  that  period  my  capital  continued  to 
increase  prodigiously. 

*'But  no  good  endures  for  ever.  The  time  came 
when  this  even  tenor  was  threatened  in  a  very 
unexpected  way. 

*'The  Holy  One  was  visited  by  certain  ambas- 
sadors from  the  Grand  Something  or  Other  resid- 
ing in  the  court  of  the  Caliph,  who  informed  him 
that  his  position  was  duly  recognized  by  the 
authorities,  and  that  they  bore  with  them  an 
Illuminated  Charter  confirming  it.  The  temporal 
advantages  of  His  Holiness 's  trade,  however, 
were  no  less  clearly  evident  to  the  Caliph  than 
the  rehgious  ones,  and  His  Holiness  would  there- 
fore be  good  enough  in  future  to  hand  over 
one-half  of  his  receipts  to  the  Imperial  Treasury. 

'^  Heaven  knows  with  what  bitterness  the  Holy 
Man  agreed;  which,  having  done,  he  sent  for  me 
again  and  told  me  that  it  was  now  necessary  for 
him  to  ask  me  for  three-fourths  of  my  receipts. 
In  vain  did  I  point  out  to  him  that  all  great 
empires  had  fallen  by  the  increase  of  taxation. 
He  was  adamant,  and  I  therefore  reluctantly 
agreed  to  the  new  arrangement;  taking  a  solemn 
oath  to  observe  it  for  at  least  one  year.    But  I 

255 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

asked  him  whether  at  the  expiration  of  that  time, 
in  case  I  should  find  the  new  bargain  more  than  I 
could  support,  I  might  depart  out  of  the  city  1  To 
this  he  agreed,  and  confirmed  it  with  an  oath 
equally  solemn. 

'  *  That  night  I  put  together  all  my  accumulated 
wealth  (which  now  filled  not  less  than  four  large 
bags  with  gold  and  silver)  and  charging  it  upon 
the  mule  of  a  peculiarly  devout  and  therefore 
unobservant  and  abstracted  pilgrim,  and  drawing 
the  innocent  beast  away  in  the  darkness  by  the 
bridle,  I  left  the  camp  as  slowly  and  cautiously 
as  I  might. 

*' Emissaries  were  sent  out  to  kill  me  within 
half  an  hour  of  my  departure.  As  I  heard  their 
approach  I  turned  my  mule  round  towards  the 
camp  as  though  I  were  arriving,  and  as  they 
passed  me,  I  said  I  was  a  pilgrim  who  had  lost 
his  way  in  the  night  and  asked  if  I  were  on  the 
right  road  for  the  shrine.  This  simple  ruse 
deceived  them.  They  went  their  way  and  I  was 
alone  once  more.  Still,  their  passage  sufficiently 
alarmed  me.  I  gave  up  the  road  for  a  less 
frequented  path  and  wandered  all  that  night 
through  an  unfamiliar  district,  for  my  poor  beast 
could  go  no  faster  than  a  walking  pace,  so  heavy 
were  the  bags  of  treasure  which  he  bore. 

"By  daA\Ti  I  felt  myself  secure,  and " 

But  here  the  Old  Gentleman  heard  the  first 
intolerable  note  of  the  Muezzin  and  stopped  short, 
motioning  to  his  nephews  that  they  should  leave 
him,  which  they  did  with  their  customary  humility, 
each  wondering  in  his  heart  whether  he  might  not 
later  feel  a  vocation  to  the  Religious  Life. 


ir>^^A3^' 


AL-MAHALLAT  AL-JADIDA 

That  is: 
The  New  Quaeter  op  the  City 


CHAPTER  XII 

ENTITLED  AL-MAHALLAT  AL-JADIDA,  OR  THE  NEW 
QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

*'  A  S  I  proceeded  the  next  morning  across 
-r\  the  waste"  (continued  Mahmoud  to  his 
nephews  on  their  next  visit)  ''I  turned  over  in  my 
mind  how  best  to  employ  the  considerable  sum 
which  my  honest  mule  bore  so  patiently  upon  his 
back.  Here  was  a  year's  sustenance  for  fifty 
labourers  or  more,  and  with  so  much  money  a 
man  earns  more.  For,  as  it  is  written  in  the  Holy 
Book,  'The  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire,  hut 
whatever  is  over  is  not  for  him/  And  again, 
'Blessed  are  the  poor/ 

"There  are  not  wanting  occasions  for  the 
employment  of  poorer  men  and  the  gathering  of 
the  fruits  of  their  labour  into  one's  own  pouch. 
But  there  is  one  difficulty  in  all  such  matters, 
which  is  the  point  of  judgment. 

''You  will  recollect  (my  dear  nephews)  how 
often  in  the  past  a  most  careful  investment  of 
mine  had  gone  wrong,  and  how  often  a  mere 
hazard,  not  even  of  my  own  choosing,  had  brought 
me  sudden  fortune.  How  in  the  matter  of  the 
sheep  I  was  beaten  almost  to  death  by  the  market- 
police,  while  in  the  matter  of  the  horse  I  had 
sold,  three  times  over,  an  animal  that  had  cost 
me  nothing  and  had  fallen  to  me  by  the  pure 
goodness  of  God.  How  in  the  matter  of  the  dates 
I  had  been  left  penniless  by  a  man  of  greater 
Business  Sense,  Foresight,  Organizing  Ability, 

259 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

Eye  for  the  Market,  Knowledge  of  Men,  and  tha 
rest  of  the  virtues;  while  in  the  Matter  of  the 
Holy  Man  I  had — as  my  weary  mule  proved — done 
extremely  well  out  of  a  quite  unexpected  accident. 
Even  as  this  last  example  passed  through  my  mind 
I  remembered,  for  the  first  time,  that  the  mule 
himself  was  a  new  accession  of  fortune,  over  and 
above  the  silver  he  carried.  For  I  had  not  had 
the  inconvenience  of  paying  for  him.  He  was  a 
fine  beast,  and  in  spite  of  his  fatigue  still  looked 
well  bred.  I  estimated  him  at  quite  ten  pieces  of 
gold,  and  mentally  added  that  sum  on  my  tablets 
to  the  total  value  of  my  possessions. 

*'It  was  so  musing  that  I  found  myself 
approaching  a  high  tangle  of  reeds,  through  which 
a  narrow  path  wound  and  was  lost  to  view.  On 
this  path  I  engaged.  The  reeds  on  either  side 
were  so  tall  as  to  hide  the  farther  landscape,  and 
so  closely  set  that  one  could  see  but  a  few  yards 
into  their  mass. 

''After  perhaps  an  hour  of  such  journeying  my 
mule  and  I  came  out  suddenly  upon  the  firm  bank 
of  a  broad  and  shallow  river  whose  noise  and 
coolness,  swift  current  and  clear  stream  were  a 
delight  after  so  many  hours  of  arid  travel.  There 
did  I  sit  me  down.  There  did  I  unload  and  hobble 
my  patient  companion.  There  did  we  drink  of 
the  good  water,  and  there  did  the  mule  eat  plenti- 
fully of  cool  grass.  But  I  made  no  meal,  for  the 
oat-cakes  and  cheese  which  I  had  taken  from  the 
Common  Table  of  the  Poor  in  the  Pilgrims '  camp 
were  now  exhausted. 

*'It  was  this  circumstance  which  made  me  a 
260 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

little  anxious  for  the  day.  I  looked  about  me, 
stood  up  on  the  highest  part  of  the  bank,  and  then 
saw  that  the  shore  opposite  had  been  artificially 
heightened  to  form  a  regular  levee  or  embank- 
ment, beyond  which  the  flat  country  was  hidden. 
I  determined  to  seek  this  point  of  advantage  for 
a  view.  I  reloaded  my  mule,  carefully  forded  the 
stream  in  its  various  branches  and  climbed  to  the 
farther  shore. 

''At  the  summit  of  the  embankment,  which  was 
evidently  of  recent  construction,  my  effort  was 
well  rewarded,  for  I  saw  a  sight  that  set  at  rest 
all  anxiety  for  food  and  shelter. 

*  *  The  embankment  on  which  I  stood  swept  round 
in  a  horseshoe  shape — not  everywhere  finished, 
but  everywhere  traced  out.  It  thus  enclosed  a 
peninsula,  bounded  by  the  river:  a  space  of 
marshy  ground  full  of  stagnant  pools  and  water- 
grasses.  Three  or  four  furlongs  away,  cutting 
across  the  whole  neck  of  the  horseshoe  of  swamp 
and  stretching  from  the  river  to  the  river  again, 
ran  the  well-built  stone  waU  of  a  strong  town,  the 
flat  roofs  and  low  domes  of  which  (it  had  no  tower 
or  minaret)  made  a  ridge  of  snow-white  against 
the  intense  blue  of  the  sky.  Far  away  beyond 
were  distant  mountains,  purple  in  the  heat. 

''Scattered  over  the  swamp  itself  and  on  the 
unfinished  sections  of  the  embankment  were 
groups  of  labourers  working  with  spades  and 
barrows,  and,  overseering  them,  near-by  to  me,  a 
young  man  of  energetic  carriage,  well  dressed  in 
a  brown  garment,  rich,  but  suitable  to  his  work 
and  girded.  He  had  no  sandals,  for  they  would 
have  impeded  him  on  such  ground;  he  bore  an 

261 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

inlaid  ebon  staff  with  an  ivory  hand-grasp,  and 
was  occupied,  when  I  first  saw  him,  in  shouting  a 
new  order  to  a  distant  group  of  diggers.  His 
back  was  towards  me.  He  had  not  seen  my 
approach. 

''As  he  turned,  to  proceed  along  the  levee 
towards  another  group,  he  caught  sight  of  my 
mule  and  myself  and  at  once  started  to  run,  pour- 
ing out  when  he  had  reached  us  a  mixed  flood  of 
greetings,  warnings,  and  varied  exclamations. 

**  *We  were  to  beware  of  the  embankment!  It 
was  but  just  raised  and  was  not  yet  stable !  "Was 
it  not  a  fine  work?  Half -completed,  as  we  saw  it, 
it  had  taken  but  three  months.  Did  I  notice  how 
thoroughly  it  had  cut  off  the  river?  Had  I  not 
found  it  firm  as  I  came  up  it  from  the  bank? 
Would  I  be  pleased  to  go  carefully  lest  the  edge 
should  be  injured?  .  .  .  and  so  on. 

''It  was  clear  from  such  a  salutation  with  what 
sort  of  man  I  had  to  deal.  Here  was  an  Enthu- 
siast. It  is  a  character  of  the  utmost  service  to 
the  Man  of  Affairs.  He  was  of  that  sort  which 
is  labelled  in  our  indexes  as  'The  Constructive 
Wild  Man, '  and  happy  is  the  Captain  of  Industry 
who  chances  upon  such  a  one.  He  was  perhaps 
thirty  years  of  age,  strong,  short  in  stature,  very 
dark  in  complexion,  with  steady  but  eager  eyes, 
and  such  an  expression  of  grasp,  resolution,  and 
immediate  decision  as  should  lead  to  a  fortune, 
not  perhaps  for  himself  but  at  least  for  anyone 
who  knew  how  to  use  him;  for  he  was  as  keen 
as  a  boy  upon  the  matter  occupying  him,  and 
therefore  careless  for  the  moment  of  all  other 
things. 

262, 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

"I  answered  him  with  a  mixture  of  sympathy, 
caution,  and  gravity,  which  I  was  glad  to  see 
impressed  him.  I  praised  his  work  vaguely  but 
courteously  enough.  I  asked  the  names  of  the 
river  and  the  town,  and  also  his  own.  All  these 
he  gave  me;  and  then  asked  me  whether  I  would 
not  share  the  midday  meal  he  was  about  to  take. 
I  said  I  should  be  overjoyed  to  do  so :  and  so  I 
was,  for  I  saw  the  prospect  of  refreshment  at  the 
charges  of  another,  an  opportunity,  which  remem- 
ber— my  dear  nephews — is  never  to  be  neglected 
by  men  of  clear  commercial  judgment. 

''He  led  me,  followed  by  the  mule,  to  a  shady 
place  where  a  few  trees  stood  on  a  drier  part 
of  the  enclosed  plain.  There  we  found  excellent 
meats,  and  there  we  reclined  for  above  an  hour, 
during  the  whole  of  which  he  did  not  cease  to 
overwhelm  me  with  description,  praise,  and  pros- 
pect of  the  great  enterprise  in  which  he  was 
wholly  absorbed. 

''This  horseshoe  bend,  he  told  me,  outside  his 
native  town,  had  never  been  utilized.  It  was 
flooded  in  the  spring  when  the  snow  melted  on  the 
distant  hills;  the  rest  of  the  year  it  was  a  mix- 
ture of  dry  cracked  mud  and  marsh,  breeding 
fever,  fuU  of  insects  and  ill-airs  at  evening.  He 
had  been  left  an  orphan  and  was  apprenticed  to 
a  maker  of  mill-wheels,  such  as  were  used  in  the 
stream  above  the  city.  One  day  the  idea  had 
occurred  to  him  that  such  instruments  could  be 
used  not  only  for  the  grinding  of  corn  but  for  the 
raising  of  water  from  ditches  and  therefore  for 
draining. 

"With  that  his  grand  project  had  rushed  into 
263 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

his  mind.  Why  should  not  the  marsh,  which  had 
so  far  been  so  serions  a  trouble,  be  turned  to  the 
profit  of  the  city?  An  embankment  would  keep 
out  floods,  drains  cut  through  the  enclosed  marsh 
would  collect  the  water  and  dry  the  whole.  These 
drains  could  be  regularly  pumped  out  by  wheels 
which  the  outer  stream  would  turn,  and  a  large 
area  of  good  land  would  be  added  to  the  crowded 
town.  On  this  new  buildings  could  be  raised  and 
gardens  laid  out,  to  the  great  profit  of  all  the  citi- 
zens. For  the  city  was  increasing  in  importance, 
people  were  flocking  in,  there  was  crowding  and 
difficulty  and  high  rents,  yet  no  place  over  which 
to  expand  between  the  marsh  and  the  hills. 

*'He  had  approached  the  council  and  headmen 
with  this  project.  They  had  hesitated  long.  At 
last  they  had  grudgingly  advanced  from  the  taxes 
a  sum  which  he  warned  them  was  inadequate. 
Nevertheless  he  had  set  to  work,  and  the  results 
were  now  before  me.  The  swamp  was  still 
swamp,  the  embankment  not  completed,  of  the 
drains  not  more  than  a  sixth  were  dug,  and  the 
whole  was  a  confusion  of  mud-heaps,  apparent 
ruin  and  chaos,  very  unattractive  to  the  eye  and 
very  unpromising,  in  its  outward  aspect  at  least, 
of  any  result.  It  had  all  the  character  of  waste 
and  folly — ^yet  a  sum  of  money,  small  in  compari- 
son with  many  private  resources  and  uisignificant 
in  the  budget  of  the  town,  would  suffice  to  crown 
the  whole  and  to  replace  the  wretched  prospect 
of  unfinished  labour  by  a  noble  plain  of  rich 
gardens  and  new  houses.  But  the  headmen  of  the 
city  were  now  disgusted  and  would  vote  no  more. 

264 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

Rather  did  they  threaten  him  with  penalties  for 
his  loss  of  public  pence. 

''I  had,  during  this  torrent  of  talk,  interjected 
here  and  there  a  question  and  no  more.  I  had 
spoken  guardedly  and  yet  with  no  disrespect  for 
his  enthusiasm.  I  had,  as  we  say  among  the 
merchants,  *  sounded  him.'  I  asked  him  in  con- 
clusion what  sum  he  thought  necessary  for  the 
completion  of  his  enterprise.  He  named  300  gold 
pieces,  about  one-quarter  of  what  lay  concealed 
in  my  sacks  upon  the  ground,  which  sacks  (I  had 
casually  informed  him)  were  fiUed  with  coarse 
grain  from  the  hills. 

''Upon  hearing  this  sum  given,  a  sum  so  well 
within  my  means,  an  interior  light  broke  upon  me. 
I  did  not  pray  for  guidance,  as  is  my  custom  in 
any  business  dealing  of  doubt.  I  was  directly 
and  immediately  inspired.  To  this  I  owe  the 
whole  of  my  present  position;  for  it  was  the 
foundation  of  all  that  followed.  I  had  suffered 
vicissitude.  It  is  the  lot  of  man.  But  hence- 
forward my  soul  was  to  be  filled  with  increasing 
and  ever-increasing  wealth  until  I  should  be  able 
to  call  myself,  as  I  do  now,  by  far  the  richest  man 
in  all  the  Caliphate  and  perhaps  in  the  world. 
This,  my  dear  nephews,  was  the  turning-point!" 

The  old  man's  eyes  were  full  of  tears,  his 
voice  trembled;  never  had  the  awestruck  boys 
imagined  that  their  uncle,  in  his  greatness  and 
serenity,  could  be  so  moved. 

'*0h,  my  children!"  he  continued  in  broken 
accents,  ''never  forget  in  your  own  lives  this 
master  precept;  that  of  all  those  whom  Allah 
presents  to  us  for  exploitation,  none,  none  is  so 

265 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

lucrative  as  the  Creative  Enthusiast;  the  man 
who  can  make  and  produce  and  yet  be  managed! 
the  Genius  devoid  of  Guile !  You  may  know  him, 
that  rare  jewel,  by  his  eyes." 

The  old  man  recovered  himself  with  dignity, 
wiped  his  eyes  on  a  piece  of  priceless  embroidered 
silk  from  Samarcand,  threw  it  out  of  the  window, 
and,  in  his  more  usual  tone,  pursued  the  recital 
of  his  fortunes. 

''The  young  man  never  dreamt  that  such  a 
chance  and  dusty  traveller  as  I,  with  my  one  mule, 
could  help  him.  He  had  merely  burst  out  with 
his  story  to  me  as  he  would  have  done  to  any 
human  being  that  would  hear  him.  I  had  the  more 
advantage  of  him  from  his  ignorance  of  my  real 
wealth. 

*'I  told  him  soberly  at  the  end  of  his  tale  that 
it  interested  me  greatly,  that  his  idea  was  evi- 
dently sound,  but  that  the  stupidity,  ignorance, 
and  suspicion  of  town  councillors  were  common 
not  only  to  his  city,  but  to  all  others — a  thing 
which  I,  who  had  travelled  widely,  could  judge. 
I  assured  him,  out  of  a  vast  experience  (which 
he  accepted  with  the  utmost  simplicity),  that  he 
could  hope  for  no  more  from  such  a  source.  I 
then  fell  into  a  sort  of  bemused  condition,  as 
thougli  I  were  ruminating  what  could  next  be 
done. 

"The  young  man,  his  hopes  now  turned  into  a 
new  channel,  and,  after  so  brief  an  acquaintance 
(for  such  is  the  nature  of  these  enthusiasts) 
already  beginning  to  look  to  me  for  aid,  watched 
my  face  most  anxiously.    I  continued  silent. 

"At  last  he  could  bear  it  no  longer.    He  asked 
266 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

me  impetuously  what  I  should  advise — ^where 
could  he  turn?  What  could  be  done?  It  would 
be  a  tragedy — a  murder — for  his  great  scheme 
to  fail  merely  because  its  obvious  advantage  could 
not  be  put  before  anyone  who  had  the  provision 
of  300  gold  pieces  necessary  for  paying  the 
labourers  till  the  plan  was  achieved.  He  sprang 
to  his  feet.  He  walked  feverishly  up  and  down. 
He  betrayed  all  the  sjonptoms  of  his  case. 

'^I  answered  him  with  great  deliberation  and 
firmness.  I  said,  first  of  all,  that  I  had  nothing. 
It  was  a  pity,  for  I  thoroughly  understood  his 
idea.  I  admired  it,  I  believed  in  it.  Indeed,  it 
was  obviously  sound.  If  I  had  had  the  where- 
withal (said  I)  I  would  at  once  have  made  the 
advance.  If  I  had  had  even  a  portion  I  would  have 
put  that  portion  at  his  disposal  if  only  to  show 
my  sincere  appreciation  of  his  genius.  For  it 
was  the  neglect  of  men  like  himself  (I  continued) 
that  hindered  the  progress  of  the  world.  But  so  it 
was!  I  had  but  my  trade  as  an  itinerant  mer- 
chant in  grain  to  support  myself  and  a  very  large 
family  which  I  had  left  at  home  in  the  hills.  I 
had  nothing  laid  by.  .  .  .  However,  my  annual 
tour  through  this  and  neighbouring  provinces 
brought  me  into  contact  (these  were  my  very 
words)  with  many  notables  possessed  of  ample 
reserves.  In  this  very  town — now  that  he  had 
told  me  its  name — I  remembered  two  or  three 
correspondents  with  whom  I  had  done  business 
in  the  past,  though  I  had  never  seen  them.  These 
I  would  approach.  And  if  he  "would  give  me  an 
appointment  that  evening  after  sunset  I  would 
tell  him  if  I  had  been  able  to  effect  anything. 

267 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

**He  overwhelmed  me  with  thanks,  led  me  to 
an  excellent  house  of  call  in  the  town,  and,  leav- 
ing me  there  with  an  appointed  hour  for  our  meet- 
ing in  the  evening,  he  returned  to  his  labours  with 
a  lighter  heart. 

* '  I,  for  my  part,  retired  to  an  inner  room  which 
I  had  hired,  there  disposed  of  my  baggage  (hav- 
ing seen  to  the  stabling  and  feeding  of  my  honest 
mule),  and  instantly  fell  upon  my  knees  to  thank 
Allah  with  all  the  fervour  I  could  muster  for  His 
abounding  grace.  Indeed,  my  heart  overflowed 
with  gratitude  when  I  considered  the  quite  excep- 
tional opportunity.  I  felt  about  this  young  man 
as  does  a  caravan,  when,  after  a  weary  march 
through  the  desert,  there  gleams  a  pure  lake  not 
half  an  hour  away.  How  short  a  space  of  time 
now  lay  between  this  moment  and  the  beginnings 
of  splendid  negotiations! 

''Having  so  prayed  with  the  deepest  sincerity 
and  humility,  I  first  took  out  exactly  two  hundred 
pieces  of  gold  from  my  sacks,  tied  them  into  a 
kerchief  about  my  person,  and  then  lay  down 
upon  a  mat  to  sleep,  first  warning  the  servants 
of  the  place  to  wake  me  when  the  young  man 
should  return.    I  slept  soundly  for  many  hours. 

''When  they  woke  me  it  was  already  dark.  I 
rose  at  once,  lit  the  lamp,  and  received  my  young 
friend  into  the  room.  All  was  silent.  We  were 
alone  under  the  one  light  of  that  subdued  flame. 
The  hour  was  propitious  for  what  I  had  under- 
taken. 

"I  told  him  that  I  had  spent  the  interval,  since 
he  left  me,  in  seeking  my  wealthy  correspondents 
and  in  making  myself  acquainted  with  their  views 

268 


THE  NEW  QUAETER  OF  THE  CITY 

upon  the  town's  circumstances  and  upon  the 
opportunities  for  investment.  I  said  that  I  had 
briefly  and  very  cautiously  mentioned  the  works 
I  saw  going  on  in  the  swamp  as  I  had  approached 
their  city,  and  that  I  had  discovered  at  once,  by 
their  pitying  contempt  for  his  enterprise,  that 
there  was  no  chance  at  all  of  interesting  them  in 
its  progress.  They  called  it — as  did  all  their 
fellow-citizens — a  folly.  They  bitterly  regretted 
the  pubhc  money  that  had  already  been  advanced. 
They  would  certainly  advance  no  more.  They 
talked  freely  of  bringing  him  to  trial  for  wasting 
the  public  revenue.  As  for  any  private  invest- 
ment of  their  own  fortunes,  I  clearly  saw  that  it 
was  out  of  the  question. 

''Here  I  paused  to  let  this  information  sink  in, 
and  was  pleased  to  observe  the  growing  dejec- 
tion of  his  features.  But  before  he  could  voice 
his  despair — though  he  had  expected  as  much — I 
relieved  him  by  another  strain.  I  told  him  I  had 
raised  a  certain  sum.  Partly  upon  the  security 
of  my  known  stores  of  grain  (of  which  I  was 
carrying  samples — pointing  to  the  bags  on  the 
floor  that  contained  my  money),  partly  on  my  own 
personal  security  as  an  honest  merchant,  poor  but 
of  regular  and  punctual  habit  in  payment,  I  had 
secured  a  loan  which  I  had  told  them  was  for  the 
general  purpose  of  increasing  my  business,  but 
which  in  point  of  fact  I  intended  to  put  at  his 
disposal — such  confidence  had  I  in  his  scheme.  I 
feared  it  would  be  insufficient,  but  it  would  be  a 
beginning — later  we  might  find  further  means. 

"His  honest,  eager  face  changed  as  I  spoke. 
It  was  delightful  to  feel  that  I  could  give  so  much 

269 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

joy,  however  brief,  to  so  candid  a  soul.  He  had, 
however,  a  certain  scruple.  He  said  it  was  not 
his  business,  but  he  would  rather  there  had  been 
no  ambiguity,  and  the  money  advanced  for  a  pur- 
pose known  to  the  lenders. 

''I  praised  the  nobility  of  such  hesitation,  but 
I  pointed  out  that  the  risk  was  mine :  that  I  had 
only  spoken  of  'a  general  purpose  of  increasing 
my  business,'  no  false  phrase;  that  I  was  so  cer- 
tain of  our  success  that  the  loan  was  at  any  rate 
secure.  In  any  case,  business  (of  which  he  had 
little  acquaintance)  was  always  conducted  on  such 
lines  (I  assured  him)  and  my  backers  being  also 
business  men  would  be  the  last  to  split  hairs  on 
points  of  honour  when  I  paid  back  their  loan. 
This  soothed  him  and  he  was  now  quite  prepared 
for  what  followed. 

*^I  asked  him  again  what  sum  he  required?  He 
told  me  he  employed  a  hundred  labourers,  that 
their  wages  came  to  twenty  gold  pieces  a  week, 
and  that  he  estimated  fifteen  weeks  as  the  very 
least  period  in  which  the  whole  ground  could  be 
cleared  and  dried  and  set  out.  In  all,  he  repeated, 
three  hundred  pieces  of  gold  would  be  required: 
as  he  had  said.  I  noted  to  myself  privately  once 
more  that  it  was  one-quarter  of  my  hoard,  and 
then,  when  he  had  completed  his  calculation,  I 
thus  addressed  him: 

*'  'It  is  as  I  feared!  The  sum  I  have  obtained 
is  hardly  sufficient.  I  have  raised  but  two  hun- 
dred pieces  of  gold!'  His  face  fell  again.  'But 
that  will  take  us  pretty  far,'  I  went  on.  'We  may 
with  care  nearby  complete  our  work,  and  the 
rest  of  it  should  be  easy  to  find. ' 

270 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

**It  has  always  surprised  me  how  exact  such 
men  are  in  judgment  and  yet  how  Uttle  they  use 
their  talent  to  their  own  advantage.  He  was 
anxious.  He  was  certain  that  beginning  on  too 
small  a  sum  was  dangerous.  But  I  persuaded 
him;  for  no  more  (said  I)  could  possibly  be 
obtained. 

''What  made  all  smooth  was  my  proposal  for 
Articles  between  us.  These  generously  proposed 
that,  though  I  had  found  the  money,  yet  of  the 
resultant  profit  we  should  take  equal  shares.  'I 
propose  that  your  o^vn  salary  during  the  work,* 
said  I,  'should  be  small;  indeed,  no  more  than 
your  bare  maintenance.  For  we  have  no  margin, 
nay,  less  than  we  need.  But  if  you  are  not  agree- 
able, pray  name  your  terms.'  He  could  find  no 
words  for  my  generosity!  Of  course  he  would 
live  on  the  least  possible  sum  and  work  to  an 
extreme!  He  had  no  right  (said  he)  to  claim 
a  half !  It  was  achievement,  not  fortune,  that  he 
desired. 

"I  insisted.  He  gratefully  yielded.  We  drew 
up  the  document  in  duplicate.  He  was  especially 
gratified  to  find  that  I  had  left  the  whole  direction 
to  him.  'I  know  nothing  of  such  things,'  I  said. 
*I  am  only  the  Business  Man.  You  are  the 
Creator,  the  Artist :  I  am  but  the  base  mercantile 
instrument,  and  I  shall  be  proud  to  share  in  your 
triumph.'  As  I  said  this  I  put  into  my  eyes  the 
expression  of  inspired  admiration  which  we  of  the 
commercial  world  very  properly  assume  when  we 
are  dealing  with  this  kind  of  fodder. 

' '  The  next  morning,  in  the  cool,  before  the  sun 
had  power,  our  deeds  were  attested.    I  warned 

271 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

him  to  be  utterly  silent  upon  the  sonrce  of  this 
capital.  I  said  I  would  be  responsible  for  a 
rumour  that  a  small  saving  of  his  own  was 
engaged.  He  saw  my  point,  and.  though  still 
scrupulous,  consented.    The  work  went  forward. 

*'My  next  step  I  had  already  planned.  I  had 
privately  set  aside  for  it  a  fixed  sum,  the  equal 
of  what  I  had  given  my  partner.  I  hired  a  pleas- 
ant litle  house  and  garden  in  the  city,  with  a  foun- 
tain of  clear  water  in  its  shaded  court.  I 
purchased  a  stock  of  good  clothes  and  even  one  or 
two  not  over- violent  jewels — and  I  began  to  enter- 
tain. 

''I  bought — at  a  price  which  gave  me  pause — 
a  really  wonderful  cook;  I  learnt  the  games  of 
hazard  to  which  the  wealthier  of  the  place  were 
devoted.  The  headmen  of  the  various  quarters 
of  the  city,  the  principal  councillors  and  magis- 
trates learned  one  from  another  of  the  excellence 
of  my  table  and  the  interest  of  my  play.  I  be- 
came their  intimate.  From  time  to  time  I  spoke 
of  my  friendship  with  the  Enthusiast  and  of  my 
regret  at  his  wasting  his  poor  savings  upon  the 
dreadful  mess  outside  the  walls.  They  agreed — 
and  all  the  while  that  fervid  young  man  redoubled 
his  ardour,  himself  worked  side  by  side  with  his 
men,  planned,  urged  them  on,  and  effected  prodi- 
gies of  labour.  Indeed,  I  feared  for  his  health — 
a  natural  anxiety  for  one  in  my  situation — but  by 
the  Mercy  of  Allah  it  remained  perfect. 

*'He  now,  however,  came  to  me  more  and  more 
frequently  and  in  a  greater  and  greater  anxiety. 
There  were  but  fifty  gold  pieces  remaining,  but 
forty,  but  twenty !  .  .  .    It  was  a  matter  of  a  few 

272 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

days!  .  .  .  Already  he  had  had  to  keep  back 
wages,  to  devise  half-shifts,  even  to  discharge 
men !  .  .  .  Could  I  not,  oh !  could  I  not  raise  some 
further  sum?  ...  As  he  had  said,  the  work 
needed  another  month  at  least,  and  its  present 
state  was  appalling,  no  visible  security  for  a 
loan,  all  mud  and  confusion!  ...  I  could  only 
reply  that  I  would  do  my  best,  but  that  I  was 
not  sanguine,  and  my  long  face  increased  his 
fears. 

''Perturbed  as  he  was  he  had  the  generosity 
to  regret  my  loss  in  the  unfortunate  enterprise. 

''I  showed  a  strong  indifference  and  told  him 
that  I  was  used  to  the  rubs  of  this  sad  world 
and  that  my  trust  was  in  Allah! 

"At  last,  as  the  day  when  his  funds  would  be 
exhausted  was  at  hand,  I  gave  a  feast  of  special 
importance  to  the  treasurer  and  the  chief  magis- 
trates of  the  city,  and  there  led  the  talk  on  to  the 
works  still  continuing.  I  heard  the  usual  grum- 
ble that  the  sum  originally  advanced  out  of  the 
taxes  was  sunk  in  a  morass,  that  the  young  man 
had,  apparently,  funds  of  his  own  for  continuing 
the  nonsense  and  that  yet  the  city  could  recover 
nothing  from  him.  I  approved  a  threat  that,  out 
of  sheer  annoyance,  they  might  stop  the  whole 
thing  and  put  him  in  gaol  till  he  should  pay,  or 
at  any  rate  suffer  for,  his  unsettled  debt  to  his 
f  alio  w-to  wn  smen. 

''Then  it  was  that  I  struck,  for  the  hour  was 
ripe !  I  pleaded  for  him  as  a  friend.  I  let  them 
feel  my  influence,  I  waited  for  the  suggestion — 
and  I  was  not  disappointed.  The  treasurer  after 
a  little  solemn  hesitation  said  to  me:  'Sir,  since 

273 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

you  know  this  young  fellow  and  seem  to  be  in 
his  councils,  can  you  not  discover  what  remains 
to  him  and  perhaps  make  him  reimburse  the  gold 
pieces  he  owes  to  our  town-fund?  We  should  be 
beholden  to  you.'  I  answered  that  my  intimacy 
with  the  Enthusiast  hardly  went  so  far,  but  that 
I  would  do  my  best.  Only  I  begged  them  for  the 
interval  of  a  week. 

''The  day  after  the  morrow  of  that  feast  the 
Young  Man  came  to  me  in  an  excessive  perturba- 
tion.  The  mud  of  his  travail  was  still  on  his 
hands,  and  I  was  concerned  to  see  him  limping 
from  the  effect  (as  he  told  me)  of  a  heavy  barrow 
which  had  overset  as  he  wheeled  it  and  crushed 
his  big  toe.  But  he  neglected  the  pain  in  his 
extreme  mental  distress  and  told  me  that,  having 
paid  that  week's  wages,  his  gold  pieces  were  now 
reduced  to  ten.  Even  if  he  himself  ate  but  dry 
bread  in  the  next  few  days  and  sold  his  poor 
belongings  he  could  not  meet  the  next  account, 
which  was  but  seven  days  distant. 

''I  cast  my  eyes  on  the  ground  and  delayed  a 
while,  the  more  to  impress  him.  I  then  told  him 
in  grave  and  subdued  tones  that  I  had  very  bad 
news.  I  glanced  up  a  moment  to  note  the  wild- 
ness  in  his  eyes  upon  this  blow,  then  cast  them 
down  at  the  ground  and  continued:  'I  have  pri- 
vate advice — perhaps  I  should  not  have  divulged 
it  to  you,  for  it  was  given  in  confidence,  but  my 
concern  and  affection  for  you  have  proved  too 
strong — I  have  private  advice  that  the  council 
intend  this  very  week  to  demand  most  formally 
the  repayment  of  100  pieces  of  gold  which  they 
say  is  due  from  you  for  advances  long  ago  made, 

274 


THE  NEW  QUAKTER  OF  THE  CITY 

and  failing  payment  to  cast  you  into  their 
dungeon. ' 

*^The  Young  Man  leapt  suddenly  to  Ms  feet, 
gave  a  loud  shriek,  and  made  to  beat  his  head 
against  the  wall.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  I 
held  his  hands  and  restrained  him. 

**  *0h!  Curse  my  birth!'  he  cried  in  a  par- 
oxysm of  despair.  'And  curse  my  generation! 
My  day  has  come ! '  He  raved.  He  incoherently 
demanded  miracles  and  alternately  denied  the 
Justice  of  Allah !  Grown  more  subdued  but  still 
distraught,  he  moaned  of  his  affections.  He  told 
me — ^what  I  had  hitherto  not  known  and  what 
interested  me  very  little — that  he  had  a  little 
sister,  orphaned  as  he  was,  who,  if  he  were  put 
away,  would  starve  or  become  the  prey  of 
strangers.  "What  could  be  done?  What  refuge 
discovered?  Curse  the  day  when  his  fatal  dream 
had  struck  him!  Curse  his  works!  Curse  the 
river!    Curse  the  marsh!    Curse  the  city!' 

*'And  so  on — the  usual  reaction  of  enthusiasts. 
It  was  most  distressing.  I  still  held  his  writhing 
hands  firmly  till  he  was  calm  enough  to  hear  me, 
and  then  said : 

*'  'Listen  to  me.  I  have  considered  your  case. 
I  think  I  can  rescue  you.  I  have  myself  saved  a 
little  from  my  trading  operations  of  the  last  two 
months  in  this  town.  My  credit  also  is  some- 
what extended.  I  will  find  what  you  need.  For 
I  respect  genius  and  I  do  not  judge  by  common 
standards ' 

*'I  was  proceeding  when  he  burst  out  into 
extravagant  gratitude ;  called  me  his  benefactor, 
kissed  my  hand  again  and  again,  and  irrelevantly 

275 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

alluded  again  to  that  little  sister  of  his  who 
really  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  case.  I  checked 
him  and  continued: 

*'  *I  will  do  more.  You  do  not  know  your  own 
value — I  mean  your  own  moral  and  intellectual 
worth — ^nor  what  admiration  they  excite  in  men 
who  judge  as  I  do  that  the  rest  is  dross.  Our 
enterprise  is  clearly  lost' — he  nodded  his  agree- 
ment. 'My  investment  you  may  say  is  gone:  or, 
at  any  rate,  I  must  take  it  for  what  it  is  worth  as 
a  thing  half -derelict  and  gravely  threatened  by 
the  authorities.  But  you  shall  not  go  under. 
Your  high  talents  shall  not  be  wasted  so  long 
as  I  have  credit  for  commerce.  .  .  .  Come.  Our 
original  agreement  is  useless  now.  It  is  waste 
paper.    Well,  we'll  tear  it  up.' 

''  'Oh,  sir!'  said  he.  'And  what  of  you?  All 
this  trust  in  me  and  my  work,  all  this  fund  of 
money  laid  out  by  you!  All  this  kindness  and 
support  without  which  I ' 

"  'Say  no  more,'  I  interrupted,  *my  mind  is 
made  up.  I  have  here  a  draft  of  my  intention, 
which  I  hope  will  jump  with  yours.'  So  saying 
I  pulled  out  duplicate  papers  on  which  were  writ- 
ten very  simple  terms.  The  original  (and  now 
worthless)  agreement  for  an  imaginary  and  un- 
obtainable profit  was  cancelled.  I  promised  in 
the  new  draft  to  take  over  the  wretched  unfinished 
works  (they  were  worth  nothing),  to  indemnify 
the  poor  fellow  against  any  public  claims,  and  to 
guarantee  him  an  ample  salary  for  one  year  from 
the  date  of  signing.  I  now  added  more.  I  bound 
myself,  in  the  event  of  his  death  or  prolonged 
imprisonment  within  this  year,  to  pay  to  his  heirs 

276 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

the  sum  of  100  pieces  of  gold.  This,  I  pointed  out 
to  him,  would  provide  for  his  little  sister  (of 
whom  I  had  now  heard  enough),  while  to  myself 
I  excused  the  extravagance  by  considering  his 
really  robust  health  and  the  power  of  my  pro- 
tection to  save  him  from  incarceration. 

"I  would  not  have  believed  that  a  human  being 
could  feel  so  strongly.  He  fell  at  my  feet,  calling 
me  his  providence,  his  all,  his  bulwark  and  refuge. 
He  said  he  did  not  know  there  was  such  goodness 
among  men.  I  bade  him  not  exaggerate.  I  re- 
minded him  how  noble  minds  had  in  all  ages 
loved  to  support  the  Arts,  and  cited  Yussouf-abd- 
Arham,  Sulim-ben-Achab,  Muswuf,  Wawoo,  Mah 
and  other  worthies.  At  last  our  business  was  com- 
pleted, the  new  deeds  signed  and  attested  by  my 
servants,  and  the  gallant  fellow,  for  whose 
ingenuous  character  I  still  retain  a  profound 
respect,  was  put  to  sleep  in  happy  exhaustion 
upon  soft  carpets  in  my  guest-room.  I  there  left 
him  to  dream  of  his  little  sister  and  his  mud-heaps, 
while  I  betook  myself  to  a  short  casting-up  of 
accounts  followed  by  nightly  prayers  to  the  All- 
Merciful  who  guides  His  servant  into  pleasant 
places. 

"Next  morning  I  sent  the  Enthusiast  back  to 
his  labours  (with  a  little  cash  to  carry  on  with) 
and  very  carefully  thought  out  my  plans. 

"First,  at  the  next  dinner  I  gave,  I  told  my 
guests  (who  were,  as  usual,  among  the  chief  men 
of  the  city)  that  I  proposed  a  deal  in  corn  with 
the  factors  of  Tambulistan:  the  place  did  not, 
as  a  fact,  exist,  but  the  name  was  well  chosen  and 
attractive.     They  were  distant   (I  said)  but  in. 

277 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

correspondence  with  me ;  and  as  they  had  a  glut 
and  I  had  news  of  a  dearth  in  my  own  country 
I  had  taken  the  opportunity  of  a  deal  through 
third  parties.  I  saw  a  profit  of  some  100  pieces 
of  gold.  Not  more  (said  I).  I  was  a  modest  man 
and  only  did  business  in  a  small  way.  My  guests 
gallantly  denied  this  and  smiled  in  polite  interest, 
but  no  more,  till,  a  little  later  in  the  meal,  I  said 
that  the  transaction  had  been  just  a  little  heavy 
for  me  and  that  I  had  looked  round  for  some  one 
who  would  help  in  settlement  and  would  share 
the  profit.  I  told  them  this  profit  was  fairly  cer- 
tain, that  no  ready  cash  was  required  more  than 
I  had  myself  provided,  but  that,  as  a  bill  or  two 
would  do  no  harm,  I  had  obtained  one  from  a 
friend  at  home.  All  this  in  the  way  of  general 
talk. 

*'As  might  be  expected,  the  Chief  Magistrate  of 
the  town  (my  most  honoured  guest)  approached 
me  after  dinner  and  told  me  privately  that  he 
would  be  happy  to  oblige.  I  told  him  there  was  no 
sort  of  necessity,  I  could  draw  what  I  would  on 
my  letters  from  home,  or  at  any  rate  enough  to 
meet  the  case.  That  if  he  really  cared  to  share 
my  httle  adventure  I  expected  about  ten  per  cent, 
profit  on  the  sum  engaged — but  indeed  it  was  too 
small  for  me  to  trouble  him  with  it.  I  accepted 
his  pledge  of  100  pieces  of  gold — but  I  stoutly 
refused  any  paper,  'Your  name  is  enough,'  I 
said,  *I  shall  gratefully  use  it.  My  people  will 
trust  my  word.' 

**I  gave  out  next  morning  that  I  was  going 
into  the  hills  to  meet  a  messenger.  I  did  indeed 
pass  through  the  city  gate  and  proceeded  till  I 

278 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

was  well  out  of  sight ;  but  as  there  was  no  sense 
in  fatiguing  myself  I  slept  through  the  heat  in 
a  wood,  watched  through  the  warm  night,  and 
returned  travel-stained  in  the  evening  of  the  sec- 
ond day. 

^'On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  I  met  the 
Chief  Magistrate  in  the  Bazaar:  I  stopped  him, 
chatted,  and  then  and  there  paid  him  eleven  pieces 
of  gold.  *I  met  my  messenger  from  Tambulistan' 
(said  I)  *we  exchanged  parcels,  and  I  find  I  have 
netted  just  over  the  ten  per  cent.  These  eleven 
pieces  are  your  proportion  upon  your  kind  invest- 
ment of  100.'  He  protested  of  course  that  it  had 
been  no  investment,  merely  a  few  friendly  words 
of  support;  but  he  took  the  money,  and  I  could 
see  that  he  was  pleased.  He  was  curiously 
pleased.  Indeed,  he  was  so  pleased  that,  though 
a  discreet  man,  he  could  not  forbear  mentioning 
the  matter  to  his  wife.  Rich  men  love  small 
windfalls. 

"In  a  few  hours,  therefore,  the  Head  Mufti, 
the  Chief  of  the  Guard,  and  two  very  important 
councillors  had  in  their  various  ways  touched 
casually  upon  the  wheat  trade  during  short  con- 
versations in  which  each  had  separately  engaged 
me  under  the  shades  of  the  Bazaar.  A  little  later, 
as  I  took  the  air  by  the  riverside  at  evening,  the 
principal  Ascetic  of  the  district,  who  had  come  in 
to  buy  his  few  lentils  for  the  week,  spoke  to  me 
briefly  of  the  same  matter.  I  gave  each  of  them 
a  different  answer,  alluding  to  various  cargoes  of 
wheat,  caravans  of  wheat  and  tumbrils  of  wheat — 
all  in  technical  terms ;  to  risks,  to  covering  sums, 
to  transfers  from  one  district  to  another.    In  each 

279 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

case  I  refused  anything  but  a  pledge  to  stand  in 
with  a  transaction  somewhat  beyond  my  unaided 
powers;  in  each  case  I  ridiculed  the  smallness 
of  the  little  adventure ;  in  each  case  I  paid,  after 
the  lapse  of  a  few  days,  to  one  a  single  piece  of 
gold  as  his  profit,  to  another  two,  to  another 
three.    And  each  was  very  pleased. 

**As  the  days  went  by  I  varied  the  procedure. 
Sometimes  I  regretted  the  unexpectedly  small 
profit  obtained.  Once  I  deliberately  announced  a 
loss  and  sternly  gathered  reluctant  contributions 
from  my  associates ;  but  immediately  afterwards 
I  did  another  fine  stroke  in  imaginary  wheat  and 
paid  a  fat  dividend  to  my  friends — indeed,  that 
particular  affair  cost  me  twenty-five  pieces.  But 
it  was  worth  it.  I  got  rid  in  less  than  a  month  of 
200  pieces  of  gold  in  this  fashion.  It  was  a  cruel 
trial,  but  proved,  in  the  event,  most  fruitful.  For 
though  I  would  never  advise  in  large  investments, 
yet  by  this  simple  method,  my  reputation  for  judg- 
ment in  that  which  men  most  value — which  is 
money — was  assured. 

''I  had  set  250  pieces  aside  for  this  experiment, 
and  my  total  stock  was  running  low  when  I  steered 
my  ship  to  port. 

''First,  out  of  my  remainder,  I  brought  to  the 
city  council  fifty  pieces  of  gold  saying  that  I  had 
with  difficulty  screwed  them  from  my  young 
friend,  who  was  still  digging  away  in  the  outskirts, 
but  that  he  had  faithfully  promised  the  second 
fifty  in  two  months'  time.  Next  I  created  a  sort 
of  stupor  in  the  now  large  circle  of  my  friends  by 
saying  publicly  and  boldly  that  I  was  beginning 
to  see  something  in  this  plan  of  draining  the 

280 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

marsh.  I  reminded  them  that  the  Engineer  had 
always  been  my  friend,  that  I  had  always  seen 
something  in  him,  that  in  spite  of  his  obvious  lack 
of  business  sense  I  could  not  help  admiring  his 
talent  in  his  own  line. 

'  *  The  place  was  by  this  time  dried  and  levelled, 
the  embankment  was  all  fairly  sloped  and  paved, 
the  cuttings,  heaps,  and  rubbish  had  disappeared. 
Then  it  was  that  I  took  a  party  of  these  my  impor- 
tant friends  out  to  view  the  place  at  evening  from 
the  city  walls  and  quietly  told  them  that  it  was 
mine. 

There  it  lay  before  them:  a  magnificent  plain, 
reclaimed  and  ordered,  firm  land  pegged  out  in 
rows  and  with  neat  placards  of  new  streets,  all 
named. 

'*You  know,  my  dear  nephews,  the  admiration 
excited  in  all  men  of  affairs  for  one  who  has  fore- 
stalled them.  I  rose  in  the  estimation  of  my  neigh- 
bours to  a  height  beyond  compare.  They  already 
had  a  most  deep  reverence  for  my  keen  percep- 
tions in  commerce  which  had  been  proved  in  so 
many  little  tips — insignificant  in  quantity,  but,  oh  I 
so  universally  accurate.  Now,  indeed,  upon  learn- 
ing this  great  stroke  (or,  as  they  called  in  in  the 
local  language,  *Koo')  they  were  lost  in  surprise 
and  respect. 

**  After  sunset  I  counted  my  money.  I  had  left 
precisely  fifty  pieces  of  gold :  a  close  aim,  a  nar- 
row edge  of  venture.  But,  as  the  proverb  says, 
*  The  bold  hunter  slays  the  lion,  the  timid  is  slain 
of  the  cub.' 

*'It  was  late  in  that  same  night  that  the  Chief 
Magistrate  knocked  at  my  door  with  the  greatest 

281 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

precaution,  bearing  a  hooded  lantern,  and  walking 
on  tiptoe.  He  begged  me  as  an  old  friend  (but  in 
a  whisper)  to  sell  him  so  much  land  in  the  new 
quarter  as  might  suffice  for  a  good  house  and  gar- 
den, suitable  for  his  son  or  even  for  himself.  I 
told  him  that  I  would  have  no  sordid  dealings 
with  so  excellent  a  friend.  I  could  not  do  less  than 
give  him  such  a  site. 

''I  brought  out  a  plan  (on  which  the  Engineer 
had  already  drawn  out  streets  and  public  squares) 
and  marked  upon  the  main  thoroughfare  the  plot 
I  would  assign  to  him.  He  departed  with  praise 
and  blessings.  Hardly  had  he  gone  when  a  yet 
more  furtive  step  approached  my  door.  It  was  the 
Mufti.  He  offered  me  a  hundred  pieces  of  gold 
for  such  a  site.  I  generously  gave  him  for  fifty 
a  larger  one  than  he  had  ventured  to  beg.  I 
marked  it  somewhat  farther  do^Ti  the  same  main 
thoroughfare.  He  went  away  belauding  my  name 
and  soul. 

*'It  was  near  midnight  when  another  footfall 
halted  at  my  door :  a  councillor 's.  For  fifty  pieces 
he  also  had  a  site  worth  double,  and  in  the  same 
street.  He  had  not  gone  an  hour,  it  was  the  dark- 
est of  the  night,  when  a  much  fainter  shuffling  of 
bare  feet  could  be  just  perceived  followed  by  a 
light  trying  of  the  latch.  The  door  was  opened  a 
crack  and  the  strong  emaciated  face  of  the  Ascetic 
twisted  round  the  edge  and  peered  in.  I  beckoned 
him.  He  put  his  finger  to  his  lips,  cautiously 
secured  the  fastening  of  the  lock — and  then,  bend- 
ing forward,  whispered  in  my  ear.  ...  I  was  a 
little  surprised  at  the  magTiitude  of  his  offer,  but 
of  course  I  accepted  it  at  once.     Such  men  have 

OQO 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

great  influence  with  the  faithful.  He  proposed  to 
let  his  property  or  perhaps  to  hold  for  a  rise.  He 
would  continue  of  course  to  live  in  his  humble  cell 
outside  the  city,  in  the  wastes.  He  departed 
quickly  and  like  a  ghost.  At  dawn  came  yet  an- 
other councillor,  more  bold  than  the  rest,  who 
made  a  plain  business  proposition  for  block  fifty- 
three  and  was  at  once  gratified. 

"So  for  days  the  procession  continued,  each 
man  coming  singly  and  watching  whether  he  were 
observed.  Half  the  comicil  had  sites  for  little  or 
nothing,  and  the  other  half  had  sites  at  rates 
really  very  reasonable. 

''And  all  the  while,  to  the  mass  of  buyers  who 
importuned  me  and  clamoured  about  me,  I  said 
that  only  very  limited  sales  could  be  made,  and 
those  of  leases  only,  and  even  so  not  till  a  later 
date. 

''Meanwhile  the  whole  town  council  was  con- 
verted. The  councillors  had  quite  lost  their  old 
aversion  to  the  scheme.  They  earmarked  enthusi- 
astically and  by  a  unanimous  vote  a  special  tax 
for  the  laying  out  of  the  new  quarter,  its  planting 
with  trees,  the  bringing  of  conduits  to  it  so  that 
fountains  of  sweet  water  might  appear  in  private 
houses  and  in  public  places,  and,  though  the  levy 
was  no  light  one,  it  was  paid  cheerfully  enough  by 
all  the  councillors,  who  were  now  curiously  proud 
of  their  town 's  aggrandizement ;  even  among  the 
mass  of  poor  ratepayers  there  were  no  executions, 
but  only  one  mild  case  of  torture,  and  perhaps  a 
dozen  bastinadoes. 

"The  public  money  so  spent  was  very  well 
worth  while.    The  improvement  in  my  property 

283 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

was  immense ;  and  when  a  fine  road,  bordered  with 
trees,  was  laid  down  all  along  the  embankment  I 
obtained  very  heavy  compensation  from  the  city 
for  the  use  of  the  ground  and  the  cutting  off  of  my 
approaches  to  the  river. 

* '  I ,  on  my  side,  was  not  niggardly.  I  promised 
100  gold  pieces  to  the  building  of  a  new  mosque  in 
the  centre  of  the  place,  on  condition  that  ninety- 
nine  others  should  do  the  same,  and  I  started  a 
hall  of  public  recreation,  the  price  of  admission  to 
which  barely  repaid  the  expenses  of  upkeep  and 
cleaning,  taxes,  heat  and  light,  interest  on  deben- 
tures (which  I  had  myself  very  handsomely  sub- 
scribed), service,  literature,  and  secretarial  ex- 
penses, decoration,  approaches,  annual  deprecia- 
tion, and  at  the  most  a  profit  of  six  to  eight  per 
cent.  I  also  provided  kitchens  where  the  poorer 
citizens  could  purchase  food  at  very  little  more 
than  its  value.  These  were  of  great  service  to  the 
police,  who  had  here  a  central  place  whence  the 
movements  of  my  less  fortunate  neighbours  could 
be  traced.  I  presented  also  public  fountains  with 
solid  pewter  mugs,  attached  to  the  stonework  by 
strong  chains  lest  they  should  be  stolen,  and  I 
even  went  so  far  as  to  provide,  free  of  all  cost, 
public  plans  of  the  new  quarter  showing  where 
unleased  sites  still  remained  and  the  terms  on 
which  they  might  be  acquired. 

"I  made  it  a  rule  that  any  man  building  a  house 
on  my  land  should  promise  to  give  it  up  to  me  for 
nothing  after  twenty  years;  but  as  many  people 
were  too  poor  to  build  their  own  houses  I  estab- 
lished a  fund  whence  they  could  borrow  the  money 
at  the  ordinary  rates  of  interest  and  the  few  dues, 

284 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

fees,  deductions,  etc.,  inevitable  to  such  transac- 
tions. In  every  way  did  I  develop  and  benefit 
this  my  creation  of  a  new  town. 

''I  had  my  reward  in  the  profound  respect  and 
honour  paid  me  by  my  fellow-citizens.  These 
were  convened  by  the  Council  at  an  appropriate 
date  to  decide  what  recognition  should  be  made 
of  my  services.  They  finally  agreed,  after  long 
discussion  and  many  very  eloquent  discourses, 
upon  an  illuminated  parchment,  which  was  pre- 
sented to  me  with  the  most  flattering  cheers  and 
songs  upon  the  public  square  of  the  new  quarter, 
in  a  tent  of  purple  silk  specially  voted  for  the 
occasion  and  later  claimed  as  a  perquisite  by  my 
butler. 

' '  I  replied  in  a  suitable  manner  to  the  acclama- 
tions of  the  crowd  and  the  kindly  flattery  of  the 
councillors;  but  I  told  them,  at  the  end  of  my 
address,  that  I  should  feel  ungrateful  indeed  if, 
upon  such  an  occasion,  a  certain  humble  fellow- 
worker  of  mine  were  overlooked  in  the  public  re- 
joicings. Thereupon  I  extended  my  hand  to  the 
Enthusiast,  that  young  Engineer  of  Parts  whom 
I  had  so  fortunately  met  some  months  before  and 
whom  I  had  arranged  should  be  near  the  steps  of 
my  dais  at  the  required  moment.  I  handed  him 
up.  I  smiled  benignantly  upon  him  as  he  blushed 
with  happy  shame  and  pleasure.  I  even  set  him 
at  my  side. 

**  *It  is  all  very  well,  my  friends,'  said  I,  as  I 
concluded  my  Httle  speech,  Ho  speak  as  you  do  of 
the  foresight  and  business  acumen,  organizing 
power,  and  the  rest  of  it,  which — I  hope  justly — 
you  ascribe  to  me  when  you  tell  me  how,  as  with 

285 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

a  magic  wand,  I  raised  all  this  new  city  from  the 
marsh  which  preceded  it.  But  what  would  such 
gifts  be  had  they  not  been  aided  and,supplemented 
by  talents  no  less  essential,  such  as  those  which 
we  all  admire  in  this  young  friend  at  my  right? 
He  it  is  who  has  performed,  sometimes  in  a  very 
literal  sense,  the  spade-work.  His  has  been  the 
hard,  obscure,  constant  labour  and  \dgilance,  with- 
out which  my  own  more  conspicuous  efforts  would 
have  been  in  vain!' 

''After  a  few  subdued  cheers  from  the  assem- 
bly, most  of  Avhom  had  never  heard  of  the  young 
man,  while  the  rest  had  forgotten  him,  all  dis- 
persed, and  I  was  free  to  seek  repose  in  my  own 
new  and  sumptuous  house. 

*'I  am  glad  to  say  that  this  public  mention  of 
my  worthy  young  colleague  was  not  all  I  did  for 
him.  As  the  agreed  salary  which  I  paid  him  by 
our  contract  would  now  soon  expire,  I  arranged 
with  the  Council  that  he  should  have  a  permanent 
post  as  keeper  of  the  public  squares,  at  a  wage 
more  than  double  that  of  the  gardeners,  and  be 
granted  (on  condition  of  good  behaviour)  a  lim- 
ited pension  when  he  should  reach  his  seventieth 
year,  the  same  to  be  deducted  in  small  weekly 
sums  from  his  pay:  which  sums,  as  he  was  not 
yet  thirty-two  would  accumulate  to  much  more 
than  was  necessary  and  leave  over  and  above  his 
retiring  stipend  a  balance  for  anything  the  Coun- 
cil might  think  useful.  He  was  also  lent,  rent 
free,  a  small  four-roomed  house  with  a  nice  strip 
of  front  garden  and  a  wooden  shed  at  the  side. 
His  duties  occupied  him  from  a  little  before  sun- 
rise to  the  pleasant  dusk  of  eve,  with  an  hour  off 
for  meals  and  a  fortnight  '3  holiday  in  the  autumn. 

286 


THE  NEW  QUAETER  OF  THE  CITY 

''Even  his  little  sister  was  not  forgotten.  I 
obtained  for  her,  from  my  friends  among  the 
religious  authorities  (notably  the  Mufti,  who  was 
most  strenuous  in  her  cause)  the  post  of  head 
cleaner  at  the  new  mosque.  Her  salary  there  was 
necessarily  somewhat  smaller  than  her  brother's, 
nor  had  she  any  holidays,  while  her  hours  were  a 
trifle  longer.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  she  had  no 
responsibilities. 

*  *  Shortly  after  all  this  I  determined  to  sell  my 
holding  in  this  new  property  and  to  betake  myself 
to  other  mercantile  adventures  in  further  lands. 
I  had  been  in  this  place  more  than  a  year.  I  had 
made  very  good  friends.  It  was  the  scene  of  a 
success  greater  than  any  I  had  yet  experienced. 
Nevertheless  I  felt  I  could  remain  there  no  longer. 
The  field  was  too  small  for  my  expanding  oppor- 
tunities.   There  was  nothing  left  to  take. 

*'I  announced,  therefore,  my  intentions  to  real- 
ize, and  allowed  a  certain  interval  for  a  public 
decision  upon  the  purchase  of  my  land,  and  leases, 
and  other  interests. 

*'A  curious  discussion  arose.  One  party,  com- 
posed mainly  of  wealthy  but  intelligent  young 
men,  of  university  professors  and  of  jail-birds, 
were  insistent  that  the  Town  Council  should  buy 
all  my  land  and  the  city  possess  it  for  the  future ; 
for  it  was  obviously  wrong  (they  agreed)  that 
improvements  in  land  and  houses  should  go  to 
private  individuals.  The  other  party,  which  was 
made  up  almost  entirely  of  builders  and  auction- 
eers, furiously  opposed  this  scheme  which  (they 
said)  struck  at  the  roots  of  all  morals  and  family 
life.    These  stoutly  maintained  that,  in  the  natural 

287 


THE  MEKCY  OF  ALLAH 

scheme  of  Providence,  all  should  be  parcelled  out 
among  the  highest  bidders. 

' '  For  my  part  I  was,  like  the  great  mass  of  the 
taxpayers,  indifferent  to  either  argument.  All 
that  interested  me  was  the  obvious  fact  that  in  the 
competition  between  these  two  groups  on  the 
Council  the  value  of  my  property  necessarily  rose. 

''At  last  the  first  party  prevailed,  the  city 
bought  me  out  (really  a  most  interesting  social 
experiment!),  and  I  received  the  sum  of  two  mil- 
lion pieces  of  gold. ' ' 

*'Two  million  pieces!"  shouted  the  astonished 
little  nephews  in  chorus. 

*'My  children,"  said  the  old  man  with  a  kindly 
smile,  "to  you,  coming  as  you  do  from  such  a 
home  as  that  of  your  father,  my  dear  brother,  the 
sum  must  seem  fabulous,  though  to  me  to-day  it 
sounds  moderate  enough.  Nevertheless,  you  are 
right.  From  that  moment  I  count  the  great  change 
in  my  life  and  the  confirmation  of  that  Divine 
Mercy  which  had  always  watched  me  hitherto,  as 
I  now  know,  but  which  henceforward  was  glori- 
ously present  in  every  act  of  my  life. 

''Before  the  day  when  I  first  saw  that  river  and 
that  town,  first  met  the  enthusiastic  young  Engi- 
neer, first  formed  my  decisive  plan,  I  had  been  a 
man  subject  to  grave  anxieties  and  sufferings; 
now  precariously  afiQuent,  now  starving;  now 
again  doubtfully  possessed  of  some  fleeting  money 
Then  came  the  marvellous  year  I  have  just  recited. 
Since  then  I  have  enjoyed  the  results  of  so 
much  persistence  and  skill.  I  have  gathered  and 
enjoyed  without  cease  the  fruits  of  great  and 
increasing  wealth." 

288 


THE  NEW  QUARTER  OF  THE  CITY 

' '  Oh,  uncle,  what  are  these  ? ' ' 

^'They  are,"  said  the  good  old  merchant  in 
grave  and  reverent  tones,  *'the  honour  of  neigh- 
bours, the  devotion  of  friends,  the  admiration  of 
all  mankind,  a  permanent  self-respect,  and — ^what 
is  more  important  than  them  all — the  Strong 
Peace  of  the  Soul. ' ' 

The  intolerable  howl  of  the  Muezzin  checked  his 
nephews'  reply,  and  they,  their  happy  eyes  shin- 
ing as  though  they  themselves  were  the  recipients 
of  these  seven  figures  went  home  in  a  dream 
of  gold. 


^\hjiy\   ej- £>^'-^^<j=^.Aa^* 


AL-FULUS  AL-MASNU  MIN  AL-QIRTAS 

That  is: 
The  Money  Made  of  Papee 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ENTITLED  AL-FULVS  AL-MA8NU  MIN  AL-QIRTAS,  OR 
THE   MONEY  MADE   OF   PAPER 

ON  the  appointed  day  of  the  next  week  the  little 
boys  were  glad  to  observe  that  the  number 
of  public  executions  had  fallen  so  far  below  the 
average  that  their  uncle's  entertainment  of  them 
could  begin  quite  half  an  hour  before  the  usual 
time.  They  were  most  eager  to  discover  what  fur- 
ther good  fortune  had  befallen  him  by  the  Mercy 
of  Allah. 

The  amiable  old  man  opened  his  mouth  and 
spoke : 

"Two  million  gold  pieces  is  a  respectable  sum 
of  money.  It  weighs  about  thirty  tons  .  .  .  yes," 
he  calculated  rapidly  on  his  bejewelled  fingers, 
"about  thirty  tons.  The  city  could  just  produce 
it  after  scouring  the  country  for  miles  around, 
searching  all  the  more  modest  houses  and  melting 
down  sundry  antique  lamps,  wedding  rings,  sacred 
shrines  and  other  gewgaws. 

"The  complete  withdrawal  of  so  much  metal 
left  them  a  little  embarrassed  for  coin  in  every- 
day affairs,  but  really  that  was  not  my  business. 
I  packed  a  hundred  strong  iron  chests  with  the 
bullion,  reserving  a  few  thousands  in  a  leather 
bag,  set  them  in  carts,  added  to  my  retinue  a  hun- 
dred armed  men,  marked  my  cases  plainly  in  large 
white  letters  'Sand  consigned  to  the  Sultan,' 
and  had  all  made  ready  to  set  out :  but  whither  ? 

"Until  a  man's  wealth  has  grown  so  great  that 
293 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

lie  can  command  the  whole  state,  he  is  always  in 
some  peril.  He  is  envied  and  a  target  for  vile 
taxes — nay  for  confiscation.  ...  I  had  not  for- 
gotten the  dreadful  lesson  of  the  island!  I  pon- 
dered on  what  I  had  read  of  various  regions,  and 
had  rejected  each  in  turn  as  dangerous,  when  I 
heard  by  chance  a  man  saving  to  his  neighbour 
(with  whom  he  was  quarrelling),  'Remember! 
This  is  not  the  country  of  Dirak  where  there  is 
one  law  for  the  rich  and  another  for  the  poor.* 
As  you  may  well  believe  I  deeply  considered  these 
random  words,  and  within  an  hour  I  was  giving 
an  excellent  meal  to  a  Learned  Man  who  taught 
in  the  University,  famous  for  his  knowledge  of 
foreign  constitutions.  I  spoke  of  the  Franks,  of 
the  Maghreb,  of  Rome.  On  all  he  was  most  inter- 
esting and  full:  he  spoke  also  with  contempt  of 
certain  wild  tribes  in  the  hills  who  have  a  strange 
custom  of  choosing  a  retired  Chief  annually  from 
among  the  less  wealthy  members,  under  the  bar- 
barous error  that  modest  means  conduce  to  hon- 
esty and  sharpen  judgment. 

'*  'As  in  Dirak,'  said  I  casually. 

*'  'In  Dirak?'  he  exclaimed  astonished.  'Why! 
Who  can  have  told  you  such  tales?  Dirak  is  the 
best  administered,  the  most  flourishing  and  the 
strongest  of  all  states!' 

"No  doubt,'  I  answered,  'but  what  has  that  to 
do  with  it?' 

"  'Why,'  said  he,  in  sudden  anger  (for  this  kind 
of  learned  man  is  commonly  half -mad)  'it  has 
everything  to  do  with  it!  Such  advantages  can- 
only  come  from  the  secure  rule  of  the  rich.  .  .  . 
A  fool  could  see  that ! ' 

294 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

**I  soothed  him  by  immediate  agreement,  pro- 
fessed my  admiration  at  his  vast  store  of  knowl- 
edge and  pumped  him  all  that  afternoon  on  Dirak. 

**It  seemed  that  in  this  admirable  region  the 
Rich  rule  unquestioned  to  the  immense  profit  of 
the  State.  The  Sultan  is  kept  on  a  strict  allow- 
ance that  he  may  be  the  puppet  of  the  great  mer- 
chants, bankers  and  landholders  who  are  the  mas- 
ters of  the  Commonwealth  and  him.  The  middle 
classes  are  allowed  a  livelihood  but  no  possessions, 
and  are  proud  of  their  small  incomes,  which  usu- 
ally put  them  above  the  artizans ;  while  the  popu- 
lace are  content  to  swarm  in  hovels  underground, 
to  work  hard  all  day  and  all  the  year  round  for 
a  Uttle  food  and  to  revere  and  acclaim  the  rich 
with  frenzied  cheers  upon  all  public  occasions. 
Laws  and  proclamations  are  purchased,  and  their 
administration  is  in  the  hands  of  the  rich,  of  whom 
a  select  few  sit  upon  the  bench  and  condemn  a 
fixed  number  of  the  populace,  and  a  few  of  the 
middle  classes,  to  imprisonment  every  year  by 
way  of  discipline  and  example.  No  man  possess- 
ing more  than  a  hundred  thousand  gold  pieces 
worth  of  land  or  stock  can  be  punished,  and  if  a 
poor  man  tell  any  unpleasing  thing  of  such  a  one 
he  is  beaten  till  he  admits  his  falsehood  or,  if  he 
prove  obstinate,  slowly  starved  to  death. 

"It  is  a  model  State.  All  is  in  perfect  order. 
The  palaces  of  the  rulers  are  the  most  magnificent 
in  the  world:  all  public  office  is  faithfully  and 
punctually  performed.  It  is  the  envy  of  every 
neighbour,  the  pride  and  delight  of  every  citizen 
however  mean ;  for — ^what  is  the  basis  of  the  whole 
affair — every  man  in  Dirak  is  esteemed  by  the 

295 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

extent  of  his  possessions  alone ;  writing  and  music 
and  work  in  metals  and  painted  tiles  are  esteemed 
for  the  pretty  things  they  are :  holiness  is  revered 
indeed,  but  confined  to  the  well-to-do ;  and  a  man's 
virtue,  judgment  and  wit  are  rightly  gauged  by 
his  property. 

**My  many  adventures  had  somewhat  blunted 
me  to  new  sensations.  But  I  confess  (my  dear 
nephews)  that  as  I  heard  this  tale  an  ecstasy  filled 
my  soul.  I  masked  my  emotions  and  simply  said, 
'An  interesting  place!' 

'*  *It  is  reached  by  a  plain  road  from  here,'  vol- 
unteered the  Learned  Man, '  though  at  the  expense 
of  a  long  journey:  for  it  takes  a  caravan  quite  a 
month  to  reach  the  capital  of  Dirak  from  this 
place.  You  go  up  the  river  to  its  source  in  the 
hills,  a  week's  travel  to  the  east;  then  the  well- 
marked  road  leads  you  over  a  pass  to  a  most  sin- 
gular cup  or  natural  cauldron,  with  a  flat,  highly 
cultivated  floor,  formerly  the  bed  of  a  lake  and 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  precipitous  limestone 
cliffs,  down  which  the  road  descends  by  artificial 
cuttings  in  their  surface.  This  strangely  isolated 
spot,  famous  for  its  gardens  and  simple  happi- 
ness, is  called  with  its  chief  village  Skandir,  and 
strangers  are  there  most  hospitably  entertained. 

' '  '  The  only  issue  thence,  on  the  far  side,  is  by 
a  narrow  gorge  leading  through  the  mountains, 
beyond  which  again  are  vast  plains  of  grassy 
lands,  the  grazing  place  of  nomads :  well  watered 
and  provisioned  at  reasonable  distances  by  simple 
but  well  furnished  villages.  The  great  road  goes 
through  all  these,  still  eastward. 

'*  *  These  prairies  get  drier  and  drier  as  they 
296 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

rise  eastward  until,  for  the  last  day  of  your  prog- 
ress, at  the  wells  of  AyrL-ayoum  you  must  take  a 
supply  of  water,  for  the  next  twenty-four  hours 
are  desert.  You  reach  a  crest  of  the  slow  ascent 
and  see  below  you  from  the  summit  of  the  road 
some  half  a  day's  going  across  the  plain  below, 
the  magnificent  capital  of  Dirak, 

"  'This  noble  city,  whose  name  is  Mawazan,  was 
founded  by  the  enormously  wealthy ' 

''  'Yes!  Yes!'  I  interrupted  in  a  bored  tone — 
for  I  knew  all  I  wanted  to  know,  '  some  day  I 
must  go  there.  A  very  amusing  journey  no  doubt. 
But  meanwhile  business  is  business  and  I  must 
start  very  early  for  the  north  to-morrow  morning 
to  look  after  some  purchases  I  have  made  in 
grains;  and  I  must  not  waste  any  more  of  your 
time.' 

' '  The  learned  are  slow  to  take  a  hint,  so  I  locked 
my  arm  in  his  after  a  friendly  fashion  and  led  him 
genially  to  the  door,  where  he  tried  (unsuccess- 
fully) to  detain  me  for  further  remarks  on  yet 
another  country  famous  for  its  enormous  bats. 

'  *  When  I  had  got  well  rid  of  him — it  was  already 
dark — I  beat  up  my  quarters  without  delay, 
aligned  my  caravan,  added  to  the  inscription  on 
my  iron  treasure  chests  the  words  'of  Dirak'  (so 
that  the  labels  now  ran  '  Sand  for  the  Sultan"  of 
Dirak),  marshalled  my  armed  troop  and  set  out  in 
the  night  by  the  northern  road.  But,  long  before 
daybreak,  I  ordered  a  deflection  to  the  right, 
struck  the  great  road  along  the  river  and  so  pro- 
ceeded eastward  into  the  hills. 

"It  was  as  the  Learned  Man  had  said :  a  week's 
marching  to  the  sources  of  the  stream  led  to  a 

297 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

pass,  and  we  saw  below  us  at  evening  a  splendid 
spectacle:  that  small  oval  plain  of  Skandir  all 
girded  with  enormous  precipices,  a  garden  of  fruit 
trees  and  grain  with  great  prosperous  villages  in 
its  midst,  and  the  road  picking  its  way  by  cuttings 
in  the  living  rock  down  to  the  valley  floor,  and 
thence  making  straight  for  the  main  town. 

"We  reached  it  under  a  new  moon  in  the  second 
hour  of  darkness.  Its  hospitality  had  not  been 
exaggerated.  The  good  peasants  received  us  with 
every  kindness  and  I  was  lodged  in  a  most  com- 
fortable house,  my  chests  and  grain  in  the  court- 
yard and  my  numerous  retinue  under  lesser  roofs 
around. 

''Next  day — as  luck  would  have  it — a  wretched 
accident  befell  me!  I  was  taking  the  air  at  the 
door  of  my  house,  preparatory  to  ordering  the 
start  of  my  caravan,  when  I  heard  the  ring  of 
metal  on  the  flat  stones  of  the  street.  A  child 
running  past  had  dropped  a  small  silver  coin.  I 
marked  the  gleaming  spot  as  the  child  ran  on  un- 
heeding, and  naturally  rushed  to  put  my  foot  on  it 
before  it  should  be  noticed  by  any  other,  intending 
to  stoop  gracefully  at  my  leisure  and  pick  it  up 
when  the  coast  was  clear.  But  the  Evil  One,  who 
is  ever  on  the  watch  to  undo  the  servants  of  the 
Most  High  caused  me,  in  my  eagerness,  to  slip 
upon  a  greasy  piece  of  mud  and  I  fell  heavily  upon 
the  stones  with  a  crash.    My  leg  was  broken ! 

*'In  the  agony  I  suffered  I  quite  forgot  the 
silver  coin  (the  void  still  aches) ;  I  know  not  who 
acquired  it.  I  cannot  bear  to  think  that  it  was 
trampled  in  and  lost  to  the  world. 

**At  any  rate,  I  was  carried  to  my  couch  half 
298 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

fainting,  the  bone  was  set  with  excruciating  pain, 
and  I  lay  for  many  days  unable  to  rise  and  eating 
my  heart  out  at  the  added  expense  of  my  large 
company  which  was  dipping  deeply  into  my  store 
of  loose  coin. 

''My  main  treasure,  stored  in  the  hundred  iron 
boxes,  I  dared  not  touch ;  for  the  Chief  of  Skandir 
(who  daily  visited  my  sick-room)  told  me  that  he 
had  afl&xed  seals  to  the  sand  consigned  to  the  Sul- 
tan of  Dirak,  his  powerful  neighbour,  and  taken  it 
for  safe  keeping  into  his  castle. 

''The  physician  assured  me  that  even  when  I 
might  venture  out  on  crutches  it  would  be  fatal, 
in  view  of  certain  complications  which  had  arisen, 
if  I  were  to  think  of  travel. 

"So  there  I  was,  imprisoned  in  this  charming 
valley,  with  no  chance  of  commerce,  my  spare  cash 
dangerously  dwindling,  and  a  most  expensive 
three  weeks'  journey  ahead  of  me  before  I  could 
reach  my  beloved  Dirak! 

"What  was  I  to  do! 

"My  dear  nephews,  you  will  hear  many  harsh 
things  said  of  those  who  prosper  as  I  have  done. 
They  are  vilified  through  a  base  envy  and  the  most 
monstrous  tales  are  told  of  them.  But  they  are 
under  the  protection  of  Heaven,  and  that  Guiding 
Power  supplements  their  humble  vows.  None  can 
deny  their  ready  response  to  Inspiration.  Hear 
what  I  did. 

"First  I  purchased  out  of  my  remaining  free 
gold  a  fine  house  that  happened  to  be  empty.  Next 
I  had  painted  on  its  front  in  beautiful  and  varied 
colours  '  Mahmoud  's  Bank.  '  Next  I  told  the  Chief 
what  advantage  I  designed  for  him  and  his  during 

299 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

my  enforced  stay,  by  way  of  repaying  him  for 
their  exceptional  kindness.  Next  I  sent  out  writ- 
ten letters  to  all  the  wealthier  men  (and  women, 
my  dear  nephews,  and  women),  saying  that  I  had 
begun  operations  in  the  buying  and  selling  of 
market  produce  and  that  any  capital  entrusted  to 
me  would  earn,  for  every  hundred  pieces,  one 
piece  a  week,  payed  punctually  at  a  certain  hour. 
To  give  colour  to  my  scheme  I  sent  my  quickest- 
witted  servant  (amply  rewarded)  to  watch  the 
markets  in  the  valley,  to  buy  up  fruit  and  grain  at 
magnificent  prices  and  to  sell  elsewhere  as  best 
he  could. 

**  'Never  mind,'  said  I  to  him,  benevolently, 
*at  what  loss  you  sell.  I  desire  to  do  these  honest 
people  a  service.' 

''The  volume  of  my  commerce  grew  (at  a  heavy 
charge ! )  and  even  the  timid  thought  there  might 
be  something  in  it.  I  started  the  ball  rolling  by 
getting  my  confidant  to  deposit  a  hundred  pieces 
of  gold,  which  I  had  privily  furnished.  At  the  end 
of  the  week  I  duly  gave  him  back  one  hundred  and 
one  in  the  presence  of  many ;  and  the  story  went 
abroad. 

"Soon  the  Chief,  his  uncle  and  his  mother-in- 
law  deposited  and  were  as  regularly  paid  one  per 
cent  a  week.  The  thing  began  to  buzz — but  I 
watched  narrowly  my  dwindling  hoard:  it  was  a 
close  thing!  .  .  .  When  I  had  progressed  in  this 
fashion  for  what  I  considered  a  sufficient  time,  I 
judged  it  opportune  to  initiate  my  new  Policy  of 
An  Expansion  of  Exchange  through  Instruments 
of  Credit." 

' '  Dear    imcle ' '    internipted    the    eldest 

nephew. 

300 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

**Yes,  yes/'  said  the  merchant,  impatiently,  "I 
know  that  the  term  is  new  to  you,  but  you  will 
shortly  learn  its  meaning.  When  I  had  occasion 
to  buy  articles  for  my  private  consumption  or  to 
make  an  exceptionally  heavy  purchase  of  my 
wholesale  wares,  I  would  frequently  affect  embar- 
rassment, and  approaching  the  vendor  I  would 
beg  him  to  accept,  in  lieu  of  immediate  payment 
in  cash,  a  note  which  I  had  signed  promising  pay- 
ment in  gold  at  sight.  ' For, '  said  I  to  him,  'in  the 
rapid  turnover  of  my  business  it  is  but  a  matter 
of  a  few  hours  for  me  to  be  again  in  possession  of 
a  considerable  sum  of  ready  money.' 

**I  went  to  work  at  first  with  caution.  I  never 
by  any  chance  issued  a  single  note  for  more  than 
ten  pieces,  and  when  ever  any  one  of  these  notes 
was  presented  for  payment,  even  though  that 
event  should  take  place  \vithin  an  hour  of  my  issu- 
ing it,  I  promptly  honoured  it  from  the  reserve 
of  metal  which  I  had  kept  back  for  the  further- 
ance of  my  plan.  I  was  careful  to  make  these 
notes  identical,  to  stamp  them  all  in  the  same 
place  with  my  metal  seal,  and  in  every  way  to 
make  them,  so  far  as  I  could,  a  sort  of  currency, 
which,  as  you  may  imagine,  they  promptly  became. 
When  a  man  carrying  one  of  these  instruments 
might  find  himself  called  upon  to  pay,  at  some  dis- 
tance from  my  place  of  business,  he  would  at  first 
tentatively  offer  my  note  (perhaps  at  a  small  dis- 
count) to  his  creditor.  But  as  my  integrity  was 
by  this  time  a  proverb  (and  never  forget,  dear 
boys,  that  integrity  is  the  soul  of  business)  the 
Notes  were  more  and  more  readily  accepted  as 
time  proceeded. 

301 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

**The  convenience  of  carrying  such  paper  com- 
pared with  the  heavy  weight  of  metal  they  might 
represent,  the  ease  of  negotiation,  and  so  forth, 
rapidly  increased  their  circulation ;  and  in  a  short 
time  I  was  able  to  calculate  with  assurance  what 
the  experts  in  this  amiable  science  term  '  the  Rate 
of  Circulation'  which  my  notes  had  attained.  I 
found  that,  roughly  speaking,  for  every  five  pieces 
to  which  I  had  thus  pledged  myself  upon  paper 
two  were  sufficient  to  meet  the  claims  of  those  who 
presented  them  at  any  one  moment.  And  this  pro- 
portion is  known  to  this  day  in  that  happy  valley 
as  'the  Proportion  of  Metallic  Reserve'  which 
must  lie  behind  any  Issue  of  Notes — but  I  hear 
that  since  my  departure  they  have  got  badly 
muddled. 

''Oh!  dear,  dear!"  said  the  eldest  nephew.  "I 
am  getting  muddled  myself,  Uncle. ' ' 

"Don't  listen  to  him!"  said  his  brothers  in 
chorus. 

"Yes !  my  children,"  answered  the  old  man  viv- 
idly, "it  is  indeed  a  difficult  subject.  Only  a  few 
experts  really  understand  it .  .  .  and  I  am  one  .  .  . 
anyhow,  you  all  see  that  I  could  now  make  new 
money  as  I  chose  out  of  nothing?" 

"Oh!  yes,  uncle!"  they  all  agreed,  including 
the  eldest.    "We  quite  see  that!" 

"Well,"  said  their  revered  relative  in  a  sub- 
dued tone,  "that  is  a  great  advantage.  But  to 
proceed. 

"After  some  weeks  of  these  practices  I  found 
myself  the  master  of  the  fruit  and  grain  markets, 
to  which  I  added  certain  adjuncts  naturally  sug- 
gested by  it,  such  as  catering  for  public  meals,  the 

302 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

erection  of  mosques,  the  undertaking  of  mar- 
riages, funerals,  and  divorces,  the  display  of  fire- 
works, and  the  charging  of  fixed  fees  for  the  tell- 
ing of  fortunes.  This  last  soon  became  a  very 
flourishing  branch  of  my  business.  I  employed  in 
it  at  the  customary  wage  a  number  of  expert 
soothsayers,  and  these,  with  the  rest  of  my  staff, 
amounted  to  perhaps  a  quarter  of  the  inhabitants ; 
nor  were  they  the  least  contented  or  the  least 
prosperous  of  the  population. 

"In  a  word,  my  dear  nephews,  when  my  opera- 
tions were  concluded  I  found  myself  in  possession 
of  200,000  pieces  of  gold,  while  my  notes,  which 
were  everywhere  received  throughout  the  State, 
stood  for  300,000  more.  A  simple  calculation,'* 
said  the  worthy  old  man,  smiling,  ''will  show  you 
that  my  total  new  fortune  was  now  no  less  than 
half  a  million  pieces,  when  signs  of  economic 
exhaustion  in  the  public  and  the  complete  healing 
of  my  leg  reluctantly  decided  me  that  the  time  had 
come  to  seek  fresh  fields  of  effort  and  other  unde- 
veloped lands.'* 

As  the  merchant  now  puffed  at  his  pipe  in 
silence  the  fifth  nephew  begged  leave  to  ask  him 
two  questions  which  had  perplexed  his  youthful 
mind. 

''Ask  away,  my  little  fellow,"  said  his  uncle, 
kindly,  "and  I  will  attempt  to  explain  any  diffi- 
culty you  have  in  simple  terms  suited  to  your 
age." 

"Well,  uncle,"  said  the  fifth  nephew,  humbly, 
"I  cannot  in  the  first  place  see  how  the  300,000 
pieces  of  which  you  speak,  and  which  as  you  say 

303 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

were  represented  by  notes  alone,  constituted  any 
real  wealth. ' ' 

' '  My  dear  little  chap, ' '  answered  his  uncle,  lean- 
ing forward  to  pat  him  upon  the  head,  *'you  will 
have  the  intelligence  to  perceive  that  wherever 
such  a  note  existed  people  thought  of  it  as  ten 
golden  pieces,  did  they  not?" 

"Ye-s-s,"  answered  his  nephew,  feeling  that  he 
was  getting  cornered. 

''Very  well,"  continued  the  old  man,  merrily, 
''this  attitude  of  mind  being  common  to  the  whole 
community,  and  all  having  come  to  regard  these 
pieces  of  paper  as  so  much  money,  I  had  but  to 
receive  them  in  payment  of  my  debts  and  then  to 
buy  with  them  into  the  gold  of  others.  Thus  all 
the  gold  entered  my  possession.  Eh?  On  my  de- 
parture the  outstanding  notes  were  presented  to 
the  firm,  I  hear,  and  there  was  then  no  gold  to  meet 
them  with.  A  sad  state  of  affairs !  Many  clam- 
oured and  all  sorts  of  trouble  arose.  But  by  that 
time  I  was  far  away." 

The  little  chap  still  looked  puzzled.  *'But, 
uncle"  he  said,  "when  the  people  presented  the 
notes  after  you  had  gone,  they  may  have  thought 
they  had  wealth,  but  they  hadn't  any,  had  they?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  the  old  man,  after  a  pause. 
"It  is  a  most  difficult  point  in  the  discussion  of 
currency.  ...  I,  at  any  rate,  had  been  bold  in  the 
story  I  told,  and  got  hold  of  their  gold." 

"But  the  wealth  wasn't  there,  uncle,"  persisted 
the  little  boy.    ' '  It  wasn  't  there  at  all ! " 

The  merchant  with  a  benign  air  replied :  ' '  The 
science  of  political  economy  is  abstruse  enough 
for  the  most  aged  and  experienced,  and  it  will  be 

304 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

impossible  for  me  to  explain  to  you  at  length  so 
intricate  a  point.  Let  it  suffice  for  you  that  so  far 
as  I  was  concerned  the  wealth  was  there,  it  was 
there  in  fifty  large  leather  bags.  .  .  .  You  had,  I 
think,"  he  added  in  a  severer  tone,  *'a  second 
question  to  propound?" 

*'Yes,"  said  his  nephew  with  a  slight  sigh, 
**dear  uncle,  it  was  this:  Why  under  such  favor- 
able circumstances  did  you  think  it  necessary  to 
leave  so  early,  seeing  that  your  new  trade  was  go- 
ing so  well?" 

**That,"  said  old  Mahmoud  in  a  tone  of  relief, 
*'is  much  more  easy  to  answer.  *'My  leg  was 
healed.  The  resources  of  Skandir  were  limited. 
Signs  were  apparent  that  the  worthy  populace, 
though  unable  to  unravel  the  precise  nature  of 
their  entanglement,  were  already  very  seriously 
hampered  by  my  operations.  Though  I  was  able 
to  prove  by  statistics  that  prosperity  had  in- 
creased by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  though  the 
Chief,  who  was  now  my  partner,  kindly  printed 
pamphlets  at  the  public  expense  to  prove  the 
same,  numbers  who  had  formerly  been  well  fed 
were  now  reduced  to  a  few  handfuls  of  raw  grain, 
the  jails  were  crammed,  much  of  the  land  was 
going  out  of  cultivation,  and  what  between  the 
ignorant  passions  which  such  periods  of  transition 
arouse  in  the  vulgar,  and  the  inability  to  get  more 
water  out  of  a  sponge  when  you  have  already 
squeezed  it  thoroughly  dry,  I  am  sure  that  I  was 
right  in  the  determination  I  then  took  to  retire 
from  this  field  of  operations. 

''Before  leaving  I  offered  my  business  for  sale 
to  the  public  in  general.    The  shares,  I  am  glad  to 

305 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

say,  were  eagerly  taken  np.  And  as  I  gave  a  pref- 
erence in  allotment  (another  technical  term)  to 
those  who  paid  in  my  own  notes,  I  recovered  all 
of  these  save  an  insignificant  fraction,  and  was 
able  to  negotiate  them  again  for  gold  in  public  ex- 
change before  my  departure. 

''Meanwhile  the  unscrupulous  anxiety  of  the 
chaotic  multitude  to  share  in  so  prosperous  a  com- 
mercial undertaking  as  mine  had  been,  permitted 
me  to  ask  for  my  business  more  than  four  (but 
less  than  five)  times  the  sum  which  I  would  myself 
have  been  content  to  pay  for  it. 

**I  loaded  300  more  camels  with  valuables  of 
various  sorts,  including  nearly  all  the  precious 
metals  discoverable  in  the  State;  I  purchased  a 
whole  army  of  new  slaves  for  the  conduct  of  the 
caravan  (paying  for  them  in  new  notes  issued 
upon  the  new  company),  and  amid  the  plaudits 
and  benedictions  of  a  vast  multitude,  many  of 
whom  (I  regret  to  say)  were  now  in  the  last 
stages  of  destitution,  I  regretfully  took  my  way 
through  the  gorge  and  bade  farewell  to  the  simple 
people  of  lovely  and  lonely  Skandir  to  whom  I 
owed  so  much. '  * 

"I  proceeded  from  the  people  of  the  valley 
whom  I  had  introduced  to  banking,  and  went  out 
through  the  gorge  into  the  rising  prairies  beyond 
the  mountains.  For  at  least  four  days'  march 
beyond  the  valley  my  name  was  a  household  word 
to  the  villages  through  which  I  passed ;  not  only 
was  I  able  to  pay  for  all  goods  by  a  further  Issue 
of  Notes,  but  I  would  even  reward  any  special 
considerations  shown  me  by  selling  to  the  grateful 

306 


THE  MONET  MADE  OF  PAPER 

inhabitants  for  cash  such  shares  in  my  old  Firm 
remaining  at  Skandir  as  I  had  retained  to  amuse 
me  in  my  travel ;  and  these,  I  am  happy  to  say, 
went  rapidly  to  a  premium.  These  shares  passed 
at  gradually  lessening  prices  from  hand  to  hand, 
and  I  subsequently  learnt  that  in  a  few  months 
they  had  become  unsaleable.  Those  who  suffered 
in  the  last  purchases  had  only  themselves  to 
blame,  and  indeed  did  not  think  of  blaming  any 
other,  while  the  first  to  sell  at  a  high  price  still 
hold  my  name  in  reverent  remembrance. 

''When  I  had  proceeded  a  few  days  further 
upon  my  travels  I  found  that  the  enlightenment 
and  civilization  to  which  I  had  led  the  people  of 
the  valley  was  gradually  dissipated,  and  within  a 
fortnight  I  discovered  myself  amid  the  very  brut- 
ish nomad  population  who  absolutely  refused  to 
take  paper  in  the  place  of  cash,  even  when  this 
form  of  payment  was  offered  by  my  own  body 
servants.  On  the  other  hand,  the  precious  metals 
were  so  scarce  amid  that  population  that  prices 
were  extremely  low,  and  I  was  able  at  a  very 
small  outlay  in  gold  to  feed  the  whole  of  my  con- 
siderable concourse. 

''Three  weeks  so  passed  in  these  monotonous 
grass  lands  among  the  nomad  tribes,  the  road 
went  forward  to  the  east  rising  all  the  way,  and 
the  soil  grew  drier  and  drier.  "We  reached  the  wells 
of  Ayn-Ayoub  and  filled  our  skins  with  water, 
we  traversed  the  desert  belt  and  camped  near  the 
summit :  at  daybreak  we  came  to  the  escarpment 
and  saw  the  wooded  slopes  falling  away  in  cascad- 
ing forests  at  our  feet  to  where,  far  below,  lay 
the  splendid  plain  of  Dirak  and  in  its  midst,  far 

307 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

off  and  dark  in  outline  against  the  burning  dawn, 
the  battlements  and  mosques,  the  minarets  and 
tapering  cypress  points  of  its  capital  Misawan. 

''What  joy  was  mine  to  fall  by  gentle  grada- 
tions  down  the  declivities  of  those  noble  woods 
into  the  warm  fields  of  the  Fortunate  State !  At 
every  hour  of  my  advance  new  delights  met  my 
eye  I  Great  Country  Houses  standing  in  magnifi- 
cent parks  with  carefully  tended  lawns  all  about, 
poor  men  who  saluted  low  as  I  passed  and  rich 
men  here  and  there  who  glanced  a  moment  in 
haughty  ease,  fine  horses  passing  at  the  trot 
mounted  by  subservient  grooms,  and,  continually, 
posts  bearing  such  notices  as  'Any  one  treading 
on  this  Lord's  ground  will  be  bowstrung.'  'No 
spitting.'  'One  insolent  word  and  to  jail  with 
you!':  While  at  every  few  hundred  yards  an 
armed  man,  before  whom  the  poorer  people  cow- 
ered, would  frown  at  the  slaves  at  the  head  of  my 
column,  and  then,  seeing  my  finely  mounted  guard 
and  my  own  immutable  face  and  shining  garments 
coming  up  behind  them,  would  smile  and  bow  and 
hint  at  a  few  small  coins — which  I  gave. 

"In  truth  the  Learned  Man  had  not  deceived 
me !    This  land  of  Dirak  was  a  Paradise ! 

"I  rode  into  the  city  like  a  king  (as  I  was — for 
my  wealth  made  me  one  in  such  a  State)  and  took 
for  the  night  a  lodging  in  an  Immense  Building, 
which  called  itself  a  Caravanserai,  but  was,  to 
the  Caravanserais  of  my  experience,  as  the  Sul- 
tan's Palace  to  a  horse. 

"There,  in  an  apartment  of  alabaster  and 
beaten  silver,  I  eat  such  viands  as  I  had  not 
thought  to  be  on  this    earth,    while    well-drilled 

308 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

slaves,  trained  by  long  starvation  to  obedience, 
moved  noiselessly  in  and  out  or  played  soft  music 
hidden  behind  a  carven  screen. 

"Oh!  Dirak!  Dirak!  .  .  .  but  I  must  conclude. 
.  .  .  The  matter  was  not  long.  With  my  gold  I 
purchased  my  palace  in  the  midst  of  this  city  of 
Misawan,  entertained  guests  who  asked  nothing 
of  my  origin,  bought  (after  a  careful  survey  of 
prices)  the  excellent  post  of  Chief  Sweeper  to  his 
Majesty  (which  carried  with  it  the  conduct  of  The 
Treasury)  and  paid  for  a  few  laws  which  hap- 
pened to  suit  my  convenience,  such  as  one  to  pre- 
vent street  cries  and  another  for  the  strangling  of 
the  red-headed  poor :  it  is  a  colour  of  hair  I  can- 
not abide. 

''From  time  to  time  I  paid  my  respects  to  that 
puppet  called  the  Sultan  and  bowed  low  in  the 
Ceremonies  of  the  Court. 

**I  had  no  occasion  to  hide  my  wealth  since 
wealth  was  here  immune  and  the  criterion  of 
honour.  I  displayed  it  openly.  I  boasted  of  its 
amount.  I  even  exaggerated  its  total.  I  was, 
within  two  years,  the  Chief  Man  in  the  State. 

''Yet  (such  is  the  heart  of  man!)  I  was  not 
wholly  satisfied.  Of  my  vast  fortune  not  a  hun- 
dredth had  been  consumed.  None  the  less  I  could 
not  bear  to  let  it  lie  idle.  I  was  determined  to  do 
business  once  again! — By  the  Infinite  Mercy  of 
Allah  the  opportunity  was  vouchsafed. 

"There  lay  on  the  confines  of  Dirak  another 
State,  called  Har,  very  different.  In  this  the 
Sultan  was  the  wealthiest  man  in  the  community 
and  a  tyrant.  Moreover  it  differed  from  Dirak  in 
this  important  particular,  that  whereas  in  Dirak 

309 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

all  office  was  obtained  by  purchase,  in  Har  all 
office  was  obtained  by  inheritance,  so  that  between 
the  two  lay  the  unending  and  violent  quarrel  be- 
tween trickery  and  pride. 

''One  day — I  had  been  the  greatest  man  in 
Dirak  for  already  two  years  naore — the  Sultan  of 
Har,  wickedly,  insolently,  and  not  having  the  fear 
of  God  before  his  eyes,  demanded  satisfaction  of 
the  Sultan  of  Dirak  for  a  loss  sustained  at  dice  by 
his  Grand  Almoner 's  nephew  at  the  hands  of  that 
Noble  in  Dirak  called  the  Lord  Persecutor  of 
Games  of  Chance — which  are,  in  Dirak,  strictly 
forbidden  by  law. 

**In  vain  did  the  Sultan  of  Dirak  implore  the 
aid  of  his  Nobles:  they  assured  him  that  none 
would  dare  attack  his  (and  their)  Onmipotent 
State. 

"On  the  third  day  the  Sultan  of  Har  crossed 
the  frontier  with  one  million,  two  hundred  thou- 
sand and  fifty-seven  men,  ninety-seven  elephants, 
and  two  catapults.  On  the  tenth  he  was  but  three 
days '  march  from  Masawan. 

"The  unfortunate  Sultan  of  Dirak,  pressed  by 
his  enemy,  was  at  his  wits'  end  for  the  ready 
money  wherewith  to  conduct  the  war.  He  had 
already  so  severely  taxed  his  poor  that  they  were 
upon  the  point  of  rebellion,  while  the  rich  were 
much  rather  prepard  to  make  terms  with  the 
enemy  or  to  fly  than  to  support  his  whim  of 
honour,  patriotism  and  the  rest. 

"Musing  upon  the  opportunity  thus  afforded, 
and  recognizing  in  it  once  more  that  overshadow- 
ing Mercy  which  had  so  marvellously  aided  my 
every  step  in  life,  I  came  into  the  street  upon  a 

310 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

horse  and  in  my  noblest  garments.  I  was  careful 
to  throw  largesse  to  the  crowd,  at  an  expense 
which  I  had  previously  noted  in  a  little  book  (your 
father  has,  my  dear  nephews,  trained  you,  I  hope, 
to  keep  accounts?),  and  riding  up  to  the  Palace  I 
announced  to  the  guard  that  I  had  come  with 
important  news  for  the  Sultan  and  his  Council. 
After  certain  formalities  (which  cost  me,  I  regret 
to  say,  no  less  than  fifteen  dinars  more  than  I  had 
allowed  for)  I  was  shown  into  the  presence  of 
the  Vizier,  who  begged  me  to  despatch  my  busi- 
ness hurriedly  as  the  Sultan  was  expecting  at 
any  moment  news  of  an  important  action.  I  said 
with  courtesy  and  firmness  that  my  time  was  my 
own,  that  perhaps  I  had  been  mistaken  in  the  news 
cenveyed  to  me,  but  that  the  financial  operations 
I  was  prepared  to  undertake  would  demand  a  cer- 
tain leisure  before  they  could  be  completed. 

*'At  the  words  'financial  operations'  the 
Vizier's  manner  wholly  changed;  he  was  profuse 
in  apologies,  admitting  a  little  shamefacedly  that 
he  had  taken  me  for  a  soldier,  a  priest,  a  poet,  or 
something  of  that  sort,  and  that  if  he  had  had  the 
least  idea  of  my  intent  he  would  never  have  kept 
me  waiting  as  he  had  unfortunately  done.  He  pro- 
ceeded in  a  hurried  and  conventional  tone  to  dis- 
cuss the  weather,  the  latest  scandal,  and  other 
matters  of  the  sort,  until  at  my  own  time  I  pro- 
posed to  introduce  the  important  subject. 

' '  This  I  did  with  becoming  dignity.  I  informed 
him  with  the  utmost  reluctance  that  the  enemy  had 
already  approached  me  for  financial  assistance.  I 
would  not  be  so  hypocritical  (I  said)  as  to  pre- 
tend that  I  had  refused  them,  or  indeed  that  I  had 

311 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

any  sentimental  preference  for  one  side  or  the 
other.  As  I  thus  expressed  myself  the  Vizier 
constantly  and  gravely  nodded,  as  who  should 
say  that  he  esteemed  no  man  so  much  as  one  who 
showed  himself  indifference  to  the  feelings  of  the 
vulgar.  I  next  asked  of  what  sum  the  Government 
was  in  immediate  need,  and  on  hearing  that  it 
amounted  to  about  a  quarter  of  my  total  capital  I 
put  on  a  very  grave  look  and  said  that  I  feared 
the  immediate  provision  of  so  large  an  amount 
was  hardly  possible,  in  view  of  the  poverty  and 
embarrassment  of  his  unhappy  country. 

"When  I  rose  as  though  to  leave,  the  Vizier,  in 
a  state  of  the  utmost  excitement,  implored  me  to 
reconsider  so  sudden  a  decision.  He  was  pre- 
pared (he  swore)  to  take  but  an  instalment  of  the 
whole.  Ready  money  was  absolutely  necessary. 
And  if,  with  my  profound  knowledge  of  finance, 
I  could  devise  some  way  of  escape  for  his  master, 
the  most  substantial  proofs  of  gratitude  would  be 
afforded  me. 

''Upon  hearing  this  I  professed  to  be  plunged 
into  profound  thought  for  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  ended  by  slowly  laying  before  him  as  an 
original  and  masterly  plan  the  following  pro- 
posal : 

''The  poor  (he  had  admitted)  were  taxed  be- 
yond the  limits  of  endurance,  and  were  even  upon 
the  point  of  revolt;  the  rich  were  hiding  their 
hoards,  and  many  forms  of  portable  wealth  were 
leaving  the  country.  Let  him  abandon  these  un- 
couth and  rapacious  methods  of  obtaining  rev- 
enue, and  ask  the  wealthier  of  the  loving  subjects 
of  the  Sovereign  to  lend  him  at  interest  what  they 

312 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

would  certainly  refuse  to  pay  him  outright.  In 
this  way  a  smaller  annual  sum  by  far  than  was 
now  raised  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  war 
would  suflSce  to  meet  the  obligations  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. The  capital  so  raised  would  be  spent 
upon  the  campaign ;  the  charge  imposed  upon  the 
people  would,  it  is  true,  be  perpetual;  but  it 
would  be  so  much  smaller  than  the  existing  taxa- 
tion as  to  be  everywhere  welcomed. 

*'The  Vizier  sadly  responded  that  though  he 
would  be  very  happy  to  undertake  such  a  course 
he  feared  that  the  wealthy  inhabitants  would 
never  lend  (knowing,  as  they  did,  the  embarrass- 
ment of  the  Government)  save  upon  ruinous 
terms. 

*'I  had  been  waiting  for  this  confession,  and 
I  at  once  suggested  that  I  could  act  as  go-between. 
I  would,  said  I,  stand  guarantor.  My  great  wealth 
would  at  once  restore  opinion,  the  loan  would  cer- 
tainly be  taken  up,  and  I  should  only  make  the 
nominal  charge  of  five  gold  pieces  t  v^ery  year  for 
each  hundred  I  had  thus  guaranteed. 

* '  The  Vizier  was  so  astounded  at  my  generosity 
that  he  almost  fell  backward,  but  recovering  him- 
self, he  poured  forth  the  most  extravagant  thanks, 
which  were  hardly  marred  by  the  look  I  detected 
in  his  eye,  a  look  certainly  betraying  the  belief 
that  such  an  offer  from  a  commercial  man  could 
hardly  be  made  in  good  faith.  To  reassure  him  I 
adopted  what  is  known  in  the  financial  world  as 
the  Seventh,  or  Frankly  Simple,  tone.  I  told  him 
without  reserve  the  total  of  my  wealth  (which  I 
put  at  a  fifth  of  its  real  amount)  and  promised 

313 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

to  bring  it  in  cash  to  offices  whicli  he  should  permit 
me  to  establish  in  the  city. 

*  *  Entering  the  next  day  with  a  million  pieces  of 
gold  charged  upon  a  train  of  very  heavily  laden 
camels,  I  set  up  my  bank  in  the  most  crowded 
portion  of  the  Bazaar,  published  news  of  my  in- 
tention to  support  the  Government,  inviting  the 
public  inspection  of  the  metal  so  lent,  and  at  the 
same  time  proposing  that  any  who  desired  regular 
interest  of  four  pieces  guaranteed  by  myself 
annually  upon  every  hundred  should  come  for- 
ward to  take  the  loan  off  my  hands.  The  hoards 
of  gold  still  remaining  in  the  country  reappeared 
as  though  by  magic — so  much  more  delightful  is 
it  to  lend  voluntarily  at  interest  than  to  pay  away 
under  torture  for  ever — and  at  last  there  applied 
at  my  office  for  the  favour  of  extending  a  loan  ten 
times  as  many  citizens  as  the  situation  required. 

"My  terms  with  the  Government  were  simple, 
and,  I  am  sure,  moderate.  All  that  I  asked  was 
that  the  tax  collectors  should  in  future  pay  their 
receipts  into  my  chest,  from  which  I  pledged  my- 
self to  hand  over  to  the  Government  whatever 
surplus  there  might  be  after  I  had  paid  to  the 
lenders  their  annual  interest,  four  pieces,  and  kept 
for  myself  a  fifth  piece,  which  formed  my  tiny 
and  not  unearned  commission. 

'*In  this  way  I  rapidly  repaid  myself  and  also 
took  one  piece  on  every  hundred  others  had  sub- 
scribed. The  learned  men  of  the  place,  who  had 
never  before  imagined  so  simple  and  practical  a 
plan,  treated  me  with  almost  supernatural  rever- 
ence. I  was  consulted  upon  every  operation  of 
war,  my  guarantee  was  eagerly  sought  for  in  other 

314 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

financial  ventures,  and  I  was  able,  I  am  glad  to 
say,  to  secure  other  commissions  without  touch- 
ing a  penny  of  my  treasure — I  had  but  to  hold  it 
forth  as  a  proof  of  good  faith. 

*  *  The  enemy  was  repelled.  But  victory  was  not 
won.  The  war  dragged  on  for  a  year  and  there 
was  no  decision.  Gold  grew  scarce,  and  again  the 
Government  was  in  despair. 

*  *  I  easily  relieved  them.  *  Write, '  I  said,  *  prom- 
ises on  paper  to  be  repaid  in  gold. '  They  did  as 
I  advised — paying  me  (at  my  request)  a  trifle 
of  half  a  million  for  the  advice.  I  handled  the 
affair — on  a  merely  nominal  profit.  I  punctually 
met  for  another  year  every  note  that  was  paid  in. 
But  too  many  were  presented,  for  the  war  seemed 
unending  and  entered  a  third  year. 

"Then  did  I  conceive  yet  another  stupendous 
thing.  'Bid  them,'  said  I  to  the  Sultan,  'take  the 
notes  as  money.  Cease  to  repay.  Write,  not  **I 
will  on  delivery  of  this  paper  pay  a  piece  of  gold,'' 
but,  ''this  is  a  piece  of  gold." 

"He  did  as  I  told  him.  The  next  day  the  Vizier 
came  to  me  with  the  story  of  an  insolent  fellow 
to  whom  fifty  such  notes  had  been  offered  as  pay- 
ment for  a  camel  for  the  war  and  who  had  sent 
back,  not  a  camel,  but  another  piece  of  paper  on 
which  was  written  '  This  is  a  camel. ' 

'"Cut  off  his  head! 'said  I. 

"It  was  done,  and  the  warning  sufficed.  The 
paper  was  taken  and  the  war  proceeded. 

"It  was  I  that  prepared  the  notes,  and  on  each 
batch  I  exacted  my  necessary  commission,  my 
little  commission,  my  due. 

"It  was  not  in  my  nature,  dear  nephews,  how- 
315 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

ever,  in  those  days  of  hard  and  honest  work,  to  lie 
idle.  When  I  had  put  the  Sultan  on  his  legs  it 
occurred  to  me  that  the  enemy's  Government  was 
also  very  probably  in  similar  straits.  I  therefore 
visited  the  enemy's  capital  by  a  roundabout  route, 
and  concluded  with  the  Vizier  of  that  opulent  but 
agitated  State  a  similar  bargain. 

'The  war  thus  replenished  at  its  sources  raged 
with  redoubled  ardour,  for  ten  more  years, 
and.  .  .  .'' 

*'But,  uncle,"  said  the  fourth  nephew,  who  was 
an  athlete  and  somewhat  stupid,  and  who  had 
heard  of  this  double  negotiation  with  round  eyes, 
''surely  they  must  have  both  been  very  angry 
with  you ! ' ' 

The  excellent  Mahmoud  raised  his  left  hand  in 
protest.  "Dear  lad!"  cried  he,  "how  little  you 
know  the  world!  Angry?  Why,  each  regarded 
me  in  the  first  place  as  a  genius  whose  ways  it 
was  impossible  to  unravel,  in  the  second  place  as  a 
public  necessity,  in  the  third  as  a  benefactor  ar- 
rived at  a  miraculous  moment ;  and  as  for  the  fact 
that  I  was  aiding  both  sides,  I  have  only  to  tell 
you  that  among  the  people  of  that  region  it  is 
thought  the  proper  part  of  all  financiers  to  act  in 
this  fashion.  I  should  have  been  treated  with 
deserved  contempt  had  I  betrayed  any  scruples 
upon  so  simple  a  matter.  Nay,  I  am  sure  that 
either  party  reposed  the  greater  trust  in  me  from 
the  fact  that  my  operations  were  thus  univer- 
sal. .  .  .  But  to  proceed : 

' '  The  Mercy  of  Allah  was  never  more  apparent 
in  my  career  than  in  the  way  these  two  Sultans 
and  their  subjects  fought  like  raging  dogs  upon 
the  proceeds  of  those  loans  which  the  wealthy  citi- 

316 


THE  MONEY  MADE  OF  PAPER 

zens  upon  either  side  had  provided,  and  upon  the 
mountains  of  paper  which  I  spent  half  the  day 
in  signing. 

**  These  loans  increased  ten,  twenty,  thirty-fold. 
It  was  always  I  that  guaranteed  them ;  I  had  not 
to  risk  or  expend  one  miserable  dinar  of  my  horde, 
and  yet  yearly  my  commission  came  rolling  in,  in 
larger  and  larger  amounts,  until  at  last  the  ardu- 
ous but  glorious  campaigns  were  terminated  in  the 
total  exhaustion  of  one  of  the  two  combatants  (at 
this  distance  of  time  I  forget  which),  and  his 
territory  and  capital  were  laid  under  an  enormous 
indemnity  (which  I  again  financed  without  the 
tedium  of  myself  producing  any  actual  metal  of 
my  own).  As  the  beaten  State  might  have  repudi- 
ated its  obligations  I  was  careful  to  meet  the 
patriotic  clamours  of  the  victorious  populace,  and 
to  see  that  the  territory  of  the  vanquished  should 
be  annexed.  You  appreciate  the  situation,  my 
dear  fellow?"  said  the  aged  Mahmoud  conversa- 
tionally to  his  eldest  nephew. 

^'I  think  so,  uncle,"  said  the  lad  doubtfully, 
screwing  up  his  face. 

*'It  is  quite  simple,"  said  the  wealthy  old  man, 
clearing  his  throat.  ''The  peoples  of  both  States 
(now  happily  united)  were  taxed  to  their  utmost 
capacity;  the  one  strong  and  united  Govern- 
ment guaranteed  a  regular  revenue ;  a  proportion 
of  this  revenue  was  annually  distributed  as  a  fixed 
income  to  the  wealthy  few  who  had  subscribed  my 
loans;  another  portion,  amounting  by  this  time 
annually  to  considerably  more  than  my  original 
capital,  was  retained  in  my  coffers;  and  the 
mechanism  of  this  was  the  more  simple  from  the 
fact  that  all  the  public  revenues  passed  through 

317 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

my  own  hands  as  State  Banker  before  any  surplus 
was  handed  over  to  the  Crown. ' ' 

The  old  man  ceased.  His  benevolent  lips  were 
murmuring  a  prayer. 

At  this  moment  the  hideous  call  for  prayer 
from  the  minaret  would  no  longer  be  denied,  and 
the  seven  boys,  plunged  in  profound  thought,  re- 
tired slowly  to  the  poverty-stricken  home  of  the 
physician,  their  father.  They  found  him  tired 
out  with  having  sat  up  all  night  at  the  sick-bed 
of  a  howling  dervish,  who  in  his  last  dying  whisr 
per  (and  that  a  hoarse  one),  had  confessed  his 
total  inability  to  pay  the  customary  fee. 


<j-ua:^v  icjUi^i 


ITMI'NAN  AL-NAFS 

That  is: 
The  Peace  op  the  Souij 


CHAPTER  XIV 

ENTITLED  ITMrNAN    AL-NAF8,    OR  THE  PEACE 
OF  THE  SOUL 

WE  had  arrived,"  said  the  excellent  old 
merchant  to  his  nephews  when  they  were 
once  more  seated  round  him  for  the  last  of  these 
entertaining  relations.  ''We  had  arrived,  my 
dear  boys,  in  the  story  of  my  life,  at  my  consider- 
able increase  of  fortune  through  the  financial  aid 
I  had  given  to  two  States,  one  of  which  after  a 
long  and  exhaustive  war  had  conquered  and  an- 
nexed the  other. 

"My  position  (if  you  recollect)  at  the  close  of 
this  adventure  was  that  without  having  spent  any 
money  of  my  own  I  was  now  receiving  perma- 
nently and  for  ever  a  very  large  yearly  revenue 
set  aside  from  the  taxes  of  both  States. 

''Not  a  man  reaped  or  dug  or  carried  heavy 
water  jars  under  the  hot  sun,  not  a  man  groomed 
a  horse  or  bent  under  the  weight  of  a  pack,  not 
a  man  added  brick  to  brick  or  mixed  mortar,  not 
a  man  did  any  useful  act  from  one  end  of  the 
State  to  the  other,  but  some  part  of  his  toil  was 
done  for  me,  and  this  state  of  affairs  was,  as  I 
have  said,  as  fixed  and  permanent  as  human 
things  can  be. 

"I  was  therefore  what  even  financiers  call  well- 
to-do;  one  way  with  another  I  was  now  worth 
perhaps  twenty  million  pieces  of  gold :  but  that  is 
but  guess  work,  it  may  have  been  twenty-five. 

"You  might  imagine  that  I  would  have  been 
321 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

content  from  that  day  onwards  to  repose  in  my 
opulence. 

*'I  might  well  have  been  tempted  to  do  so,  for 
to  that  opulence  was  added  a  singular  and  fervid 
popularity.  I  was  alluded  to  in  public  and  private 
as  the  man  who  had  saved  the  State  by  his  finan- 
cial genius  during  the  Great  War.  Even  the  con- 
quered remembered  me  gratefully  for  the  aid  I 
had  extended  to  them  in  their  need ;  while  since  I 
could  not  satisfy  my  personal  desires  without  at 
least  feeding  a  great  host  of  dancers,  bearers,  ar- 
tists, my  kindness  in  affording  employment  was 
universally  recognized;  moreover  (since  among 
these  people  wealth  is  a  test  of  greatness)  I  was 
admitted  to  their  Senate  without  the  usual  formal- 
ity of  a  cash  payment. 

**The  world  was  now  indeed  at  my  feet.  But 
you  must  know,''  continued  Mahmoud  with  some- 
thing of  sadness  in  his  voice,  ''you  must  know, 
my  dear,  innocent  lads,  that  wealth  will  not  stop 
still.  The  mere  administration  of  a  great  fortune 
tends  to  increase  it,  and  when  one  has  for  years 
found  one's  occupation  in  the  accumulation  of 
money,  it  is  diflBcult  in  middle  age  to  abandon  the 
rooted  habit.  Therefore,  though  I  now  had  all 
that  life  could  give  me,  I  proceeded  henceforward 
for  many  years  to  increase  that  substance  with 
which  the  Mercy  of  Allah  had  provided  me ;  and 
I  discovered  at  the  outset  of  this  new  career  that 
to  be  the  fiinancier  I  had  become,  and  to  have 
behind  me  the  resources  which  I  now  possessed, 
made  my  further  successes  a  matter  not  of  hazard 
but  of  certitude.  Shall  I  briefly  tell  you  the  va^ 
rious  ways  in  which  my  efforts  proceeded?" 

322 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

**Pray,  pray  do  so,"  said  his  little  nephews  with 
sparkling  eyes,  each  imagining  himself  in  the 
dazzling  position  of  his  wealthy  relative. 

''Very  well,"  sighed  Mahmond.  "It  will  be  of 
little  use  to  any  of  you ;  but  if  it  does  no  more  than 
confirm  you  in  your  religion  what  I  have  to  tell 
you  will  not  have  been  told  in  vain. ' ' 

The  merchant  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and 
then  began  the  category  of  his  financial  proceed- 
ings: 

*' Neighbouring  States  which  had  heard  of  the 
powerful  new  methods  I  had  introduced  would 
approach  me  from  time  to  time  for  financial 
assistance.  To  these  I  made  the  same  invariable 
reply,  that  upon  certain  terms,  which  I  myself 
would  fix,  I  was  content  to  'float  their  loans'; 
that  is,  the  rich  men  of  their  country  (or  of  any 
other)  should  pay  into  my  office  the  sums  they 
were  prepared  to  lend  to  such  a  State,  and  I  would 
pay  back  a  part,  but  not  the  whole,  of  the  amount 
so  accumulated  to  the  State  in  question.  The 
enormous  service  I  rendered  by  allowing  my  office 
to  be  used  for  this  transaction  was  everywhere 
recognized,  and  by  such  operations  my  fortunes 
proceeded  to  grow. 

"It  was  at  this  moment  in  my  career  that  I 
married  my  wife,  your  dear  aunt,  who  generally 
resides,  as  you  know,  in  that  one  of  my  country 
palaces  called  Dar-al-Beida  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tigris  some  four  days'  journey  from  here.  It  is 
a  delightful  spot  which  I  remember  well  though 
I  have  not  seen  it  for  years.  .  .  .  Some  day,  per- 
haps, I  will  visit  it  again,  but  not  to  sleep. 

"Your  dear  aunt  was,  and  is,  my  boys,  a  most 
323 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

remarkable  woman :  fit  to  compete  with  the  mas- 
ter spirits  of  our  time :  yea !  even  with  my  own. 

*'Her  birth — I  need  not  conceal  it — ^was  humble. 
She  was  but  a  chance  hireling  in  my  offices,  with 
the  duty  of  sorting  my  papers  and  keeping  indices 
of  the  same. 

''Such  was  her  interest  in  affairs  that  she  was 
at  the  pains  to  take  copies  and  tracings  of  many 
particularly  private  and  important  passages  with 
her  own  hand,  and  keep  these  by  her  in  a  private 
place.  I  was  struck  beyond  measure  at  such  in- 
dustry and  preoccupation  with  business  on  the 
part  of  a  woman  (and  one  so  poor!).  I  con- 
ceived an  ardent  desire  to  possess  these  speci- 
mens of  her  skill ;  but — to  my  astonishment,  and 
(at  first)  confusion — she  humbly  replied  that  a 
profound  though  secret  affection  which  she  had 
conceived  for  me  forbade  her  to  part  with  these 
precious  souvenirs  of  myself.  I  was  so  absorbed 
in  their  pursuit  that,  rather  than  lose  them,  I  mar- 
ried this  Queen  of  Finance — recognizing  in  her 
an  equal  genius  with  my  own.  Our  wedding  was 
of  the  simplest.  I  took  comfort  from  the  consid- 
eration that  it  proved  me  superior  to  all  the  nobles 
of  the  court  and  indifferent  to  an  alliance  with 
their  families. 

' '  Immediately  after  the  wedding  my  wife,  your 
dear  aunt,  asked  me  for  money  wherewith  to 
travel,  a  request  I  readily  granted.  She  traversed 
for  her  pleasure  I  knew  not  what  foreign  lands, 
always,  and  gladly,  furnished  with  the  where- 
withal from  my  cash  box;  but  on  my  returning 
later  to  Bagdad,  my  native  place,  she  unexpect- 
edly appeared  at  my  door,  and  I  was  happy  to 

324 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

build  for  her  that  country  Palace  of  Dar-el-Beida 
to  the  charm  of  which  I  have  alluded.  Unfortun- 
ately its  air  suits  me  ill,  while  she  (your  dear 
aunt)  suffocates  in  the  atmosphere  of  Bagdad.  It 
is  often  thus  in  old  age.  ..." 

Mahmoud  mused  and  continued : 

**But  let  us  return  to  my  further  activities  in 
that  far  land : 

*'I  next  designed  a  scheme  whereby  every  form 
of  human  misfortune,  fire,  disease,  paralysis,  mad- 
ness, and  the  rest,  might  be  alleviated  to  the 
sufferer  by  the  payment  of  regular  sums  of  money 
upon  the  advent  of  the  disaster ;  weekly  sums  for 
his  support  if  he  were  rendered  infirm  or  ill,  a 
lump  sum  to  replace  whatever  he  might  have 
totally  lost,  and  so  forth.  A  short  and  easy  sur- 
vey of  the  average  number  of  times  in  which  such 
accidents  took  place  permitted  me  to  establish 
my  system.  I  charged  for  100  dinars  worth  of 
such  insurance  110  dinars,  and  my  benevolence 
was  praised  even  more  highly  than  my  ingenuity. 

**Men  flocked  in  thousands,  and  at  last  in  mil- 
lions, to  secure  themselves  from  the  uncertainty 
of  human  life  by  giving  me  of  their  free  will  more 
money  in  regular  payments  than  I  could  by  any 
accident  be  compelled  to  pay  out  to  any  one  of 
them  upon  his  reaching  old  age,  his  suffering  from 
fire,  or  his  contraction  of  an  illness.  Nay,  death 
itself  at  last  entered  into  this  design,  and  having 
found  that  young  men  just  of  age  live  upon  the 
average  for  forty  years,  I  asked  them  to  pay  for 
their  heirs  annual  sums  calculated  as  though  that 
period  were  thirty,  and  thus  I  continued  to  accu- 
mulate wealth  from  a  perennial  source." 

325 


THE  MEECY  OF  ALLAH 

"But  why,*'  began  one  of  his  nephews  excit- 
edly. .  .  . 

*'Why  what?'*  asked  his  uncle,  severely. 

"Why,"  said  the  poor  lad,  a  little  abashed  by 
his  uncle's  tone,  "why  did  they  pay  you  more  for 
a  thing  than  it  was  worth?" 

Mahmoud  stroked  his  long  white  beard  and 
looked  up  sideways  towards  the  highly  decorated 
vault  of  the  gorgeous  apartment.  He  remained 
thus  plunged  in  thought  for  perhaps  thirty  sec- 
onds, and  when  he  broke  the  silence  it  was  to  say 

that  he  did  not  know.    "But  no  matter "  he 

added  hurriedly.  "I  paid  for  a  law  which  com- 
pelled all  slaves  to  insure  and  so  was  certain  of 
a  fixed  revenue  in  this  kind. 

"And  I  had  many  other  resources,"  he  con- 
tinued cheerily.  "If  those  who  had  made  many 
such  regular  payments  to  me  to  insure  against 
death,  old  age,  disease,  and  the  rest,  happened 
to  fall  into  an  embarrassed  condition  and  to  need 
a  loan,  I  was  always  ready  to  advance  them  their 
own  money  again  at  interest,  or  did  I  ever  find 
them  unwilling  to  subscribe  the  bond.  Further 
I  urged  and  tempted  many  to  fall  into  arrears 
and  so  possessed  myself  of  all  they  had  paid  in. 
The  vast  sums  paid  to  me  in  these  various  fash- 
ions were  sometimes  too  great  for  investment 
within  the  State,  and  I  had  to  look  further  afield. 
But  here  again  by  the  Mercy  of  Allah  suggestions 
of  the  most  lucrative  sort  perpetually  occurred 
to  my  religious  soul. 

"Not  infrequently  I  would  lay  out  a  million 
or  two  in  the  purchase  of  a  great  estate  situated 
at  some  distance  which,  when  I  had  acquired  it, 

326 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

I  would  declare  to  be  packed  with  gold,  silver, 
diamonds,  copper,  salt,  and  china  clay  beneath  the 
earth,  and  on  its  surface  loaded  with  red  pepper 
and  other  most  precious  fruits.  I  have  no  doubt 
these  estates  were  often  of  a  promising  nature, 
though  travellers  have  assured  me  that  some  were 
mere  desert ;  in  one  case,  to  my  certain  knowledge, 
the  estate  did  not  even  exist.  But  it  really  mat- 
tered little  whether  I  spoke  truly  or  falsely  with 
regard  to  such  ventures,  for  my  method  of  dealing 
with  them  made  them,  whether  they  were  of 
trifling  value  or  of  more,  invariably  profitable  to 
many  besides  myself  and  a  blessing  to  the  whole 
State." 

''But  uncle,"  interjected  another  nephew,  "how 
could  that  be?" 

*'You  will  easily  see,"  said  Mahmoud  with  a 
pitying  smile,  ''when  you  hear  the  sequel.  I  was 
not  so  selfish  as  to  retain  these  properties  in  my 
own  hands.  I  would  offer  them  to  the  public  for 
sale,  and  being  in  a  position  to  pay  many  poets, 
scribes,  and  pubhc  story  tellers  who  should  make 
general  the  praises  of  the  estates  in  question,  an 
active  competition  among  many  thousands  would 
arise  to  become  part  purchasers.  In  the  presence 
of  this  competition  the  price  of  a  share,  or  part 
property,  would  rise;  those  who  had  bought 
early  would  sell  later  to  others  at  a  profit,  and 
these  to  others  again  at  a  further  profit  still ;  an 
active  buying  and  selling  of  these  part  properties 
in  my  ventures  thus  became  a  fixed  habit  in  the 
intelligent  people  of  the  place,  and  those  who 
were  left  ultimately  the  possessors  of  the  actual 
estates  in  question,  whether  real  or  imaginary, 

327 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

were  only  the  more  foolish  and  ignorant  of  the 
population.  Their  agonized  denouncement  of  my 
judgment  (as  they  wandered  from  one  to  another 
attempting  to  dispose  of  their  bad  bargains)  was, 
of  course,  treated  with  contempt  by  the  run  of 
able  men  who  remembered  the  profits  of  the  share 
market  at  the  inception  of  the  business.  On  this 
account  it  was  possible  for  me  to  continue  in- 
definitely to  present  for  sale  to  the  public  every 
species  of  venture  which  I  might  feel  inclined  to 
put  before  them:  the  intelligent  and  successful 
were  ever  my  applauders;  the  unfortunate  and 
despised  alone  decried  me.  And  these  were,  on 
account  of  my  operations,  so  poor,  and  therefore 
of  so  little  significance  in  the  State,  that  I  rarely 
thought  it  worth  while  to  pay  the  authorities  for 
their  imprisonment  or  death. 

''Within  ten  years  there  were  no  bounds  to  my 
possessions.  It  was  currently  said  that  I  myself 
had  no  conception  of  their  magnitude,  and  I  admit 
this  was  true.  From  time  to  time  I  would  pay 
enormous  sums  to  endow  a  place  of  learning,  to 
benefit  the  Ministers  of  my  own  Religion  (and 
its  antagonists),  or  to  propagate  by  means  of  an 
army  of  public  criers  some  insignificant  opinion 
peculiar  to  myself  or  my  wife,  your  dear  aunt — 
whose  strong  views  upon  the  wearing  of  green 
turbans  by  Hadjis  and  the  illumination  of  the 
Koran  in  red  ink  are  doubtless  familiar  to  you. 

"I  would  also  put  up  vast  buildings  to  house 
the  aged  indigent  whose  name  began  with  an  A, 
or  others  wherein  could  be  set  to  useful  labour  the 
aged  indigent  who  were  blind  of  one  eye. 

"I  erected,  endowed  and  staffed  an  immense 
328 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

establishment,  standing  in  its  own  park-like 
grounds,  wherein  was  taught  and  proved  the  true 
doctrine  that  gold  and  silver  are  but  dross  and 
that  learning  is  the  sole  good;  and  yet  others  in 
which  it  was  proved  with  equal  certitude  that 
learning,  like  all  mundane  things,  is  dust  and  only 
an  exact  knowledge  of  the  Sacred  Text  worth 
having.  But  the  Professors  of  this  last  science 
demanded  double  pay,  urging  (with  sense,  I 
thought)  first  that  any  fool  could  talk  at  large  but 
that  it  took  hard  work  to  study  manuscripts; 
second  that  only  half  a  dozen  men  knew  the  docu- 
ments exhaustively  and  that  if  they  were  under- 
rated they  would  stand  aside  and  wreck  the  enter- 
prise with  their  savage  critiques. 

''Meanwhile  I  devised  in  my  leisure  time  an 
amusing  instrument  of  gain  called  'The  Cream 
Separator.'  I  paid  my  wretched  Sultan  and  his 
Court  for  a  law,  to  be  imposed,  compelling  all 
men,  under  pain  of  torture,  to  reveal  their  rev- 
enues from  farming  or  any  other  reputable  trade, 
but  taking  no  account  of  gambling  and  juggling 
as  being  unimportant  and  too  difficult  to  follow. 
I  next  paid  another  sum  to  the  writers  and 
spouters  and  other  starvelings  to  denounce  all 
who  objected.  For  less  than  double  this  sum  I 
brought  a  new  law  which  swept  away  all  the  sur- 
plus of  the  better  farmers  and  other  reputable 
men  into  a  general  fund  and  paid  out  their  cruel 
loss,  partly  in  Httle  doles  to  the  very  poor,  but 
partly  also  (for  fair  play's  a  jewel)  in  added  sti- 
pends to  the  very  rich  with  posts  at  Court :  the 
Lord  High  Conjurer  I  especially  favoured.  Thus 
did  I  establish  a  firm  friendship  with  the  masses 

329 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

and  with  their  governors  and,  I  am  glad  to  say, 
destroyed  the  middle  sort  who  are  a  very  dull, 
greasy,  humdrum  lot  at  the  best,  rightly  detested 
by  their  betters  as  apes  and  by  their  inferiors  as 
immediate  masters. 

**  And  on  all  this  I  took  my  little  commission 

**  My  children!  .  .  .  My  children!  .  .  .  "ended 
the  old  man,  his  eyes  now  full  of  frigid  tears,  **I 
had  attained  the  summit  of  Human  Life.  I  had 
all  .  .  .  and  there  descended  upon  me  what 
wealth — supreme  wealth — alone  can  give:  the 
Strong  Peace  of  the  Soul. ' ' 

His  tears  now  flowed  freely,  and  his  nephews 
were  touched  beyond  measure  to  see  such  emo- 
tion in  one  so  great. 

*'It  is,"  he  continued  (with  difficulty  from  his 
rising  emotion),  *'it  is  wealth  and  wealth  alone, 
wealth  superior  to  all  surrounding  wealth,  that 
can  procure  for  man  that  equal  vision  of  the 
world,  that  immense  tolerance  of  evil,  that  un- 
failing hope  for  the  morrow,  and  that  profound 
content  which  furnish  for  the  heart  of  man  its 
resting  place. ' ' 

Here  the  millionaire  frankly  broke  down.  He 
covered  his  face  in  his  hands  and  his  sobs  were 
echoed  by  those  of  his  respectful  nephews,  with 
the  exception  of  the  third  with  whom  they  degen- 
erated into  hiccoughs. 

Mahmoud  raised  his  strong,  old,  tear-stained 
features,  dried  his  eyes  and  asked  them  (since  his 
tale  was  now  done)  whether  they  had  any  ques- 
tions to  ask. 

After  a  long  interval  the  eldest  spoke : 

* '  Oh !  My  revered  uncle, ' '  said  he,  in  an  awe- 
330 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

struck  voice,  '4f  I  may  make  so  bold  .  .  .  why  did 
you  leave  this  place  of  your  power  and  return  to 
Bagdad?" 

His  uncle  was  silent  for  a  space  and  then  replied 
in  slow  and  measured  words : 

"It  was  in  this  wise.  A  sort  of  moral  distem- 
per— a  mysterious  inward  plague — struck  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  I  dwelt.  The  poor,  in  spite  of 
their  increased  doles,  seemed  to  grow  mysteri- 
ously disinclined  for  work.  The  rich — and 
especially  those  in  power — fell  (I  know  not  why!) 
into  habits  of  self-indulgence.  The  middle  class, 
whom  I  had  so  justly  destroyed,  were  filled  in 
their  ruin  with  a  vile  spite  and  rancour.  As  they 
still  commanded  some  remaining  power  of  expres- 
sion by  pen  and  voice  they  added  to  the  great 
ill  ease.  One  evening  an  awful  thing  happened. 
A  large  pebble — one  may  almost  call  it  a  stone — 
was  flung  through  the  open  lattice  of  my  banquet- 
ing room  and  narrowly  missed  the  Deputy  Head 
Controller  who  stood  behind  the  couch  where  I 
reclined  at  the  head  of  my  guests. 

"It  was  a  warning  from  Heaven.  Next  day  I 
began  with  infinite  precautions  to  realize.  I  knew 
that,  for  some  hidden  reason,  the  country  was 
poisoned.  Parcel  bv  parcel,  lot  by  lot,  I  disposed 
of  my  lands,  my  shares  in  enterprises,  my  docu- 
ments of  mortgage  and  loan.  By  messengers  I 
transferred  this  wealth  to  purchases  in  the  plains 
about  Bagdad,  my  native  place;  on  the  Tigris; 
Bonds  upon  the  Houses  of  Mosul  and  mills  on  the 
farm  colonies  of  the  Persian  hills :  In  Promises 
to  Pay  signed  by  the  Caliph  and  in  the  admitted 

331 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

obligations    of   the    Lords    of    Bosra    and   the 
Euphrates. 

**An  Inner  Voice  said  to  me,  'Mahmoud,  yon 
have  achieved  the  Peace  of  the  Soul.  Do  not  risk 
it  longer  here.'  .  .  . 

**"When  all  my  vast  fortune  was  so  trans- 
ferred to  Mesopotamia,  I  went  down  by  a  month's 
journey  to  the  sea-coast,  took  ship,  and  sailed  up 
the  gulf  for  the  home  of  my  childhood.  .  .  . 

'*I  was  but  just  in  time !  Within  a  week  of  my 
departure  an  insolent  message  was  received  by 
the  Sultan  of  my  former  habitation  from  the  Rob- 
ber King  of  the  Hills  demanding  tribute.  In  vain 
did  the  unfortunate  man  plead  his  progress  in  the 
arts,  his  magnificent  national  debt,  the  high  wages 
of  his  artisans  and  their  happy  leisure,  the  refine- 
ment and  luxury  of  his  nobles — ^not  even  their  hot 
baths  and  their  change  of  clothes  three  times  a 
day  could  save  them!  The  cruel  barbarian  con- 
queror over-ran  the  whole  place,  sacked  the  capi- 
tal, confiscated  the  land,  annulled  all  deeds,  im- 
posed a  fearful  tribute,  and  had  I  left  one  copper 
coin  in  the  country  (which  happily  I  had  not), 
it  would  have  been  lost  to  me  for  ever. 

''But  by  the  time  these  dreadful  things  were 
taking  place  I  was  safe  here  in  Bagdad — it  was 
about  the  time  the  eldest  of  you  was  born.  I 
purchased  this  site,  built  the  Palace  where  you  do 
me  the  honour  of  attending  me  (and  also  that  of 
Bar-al-Beida  for  my  wife,  your  dear  aunt,  four 
days  away)  and  have  now  lived  serenely  into  old 

age,  praising  and  blessing  God. 

****** 

''My  dear  nephews,  I  have  no  more  to  tell. 
332 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

You  have  now  heard  how  industry  in  itself  is  notK- 
ing  if  it  is  not  guided  and  sustained  by  Provi- 
dence, but  you  have  doubtless  also  perceived  that 
the  best  fortune  which  Heaven"  (here  the  old  man 
bowed  his  head  reverently)  **can  bestow  upon  a 
mortal  is  useless  indeed  unless  he  supplement  its 
grace  by  his  own  energy  and  self -discipline.  I 
must  warn  you  in  closing  that  any  efforts  of  your 
own  to  tread  in  the  path  I  have  described  would 
very  probably  end  in  your  suffering  upon  the  mar- 
ket place  of  the  city  that  ignominious  death  which 
furnishes  in  the  public  executions  such  entertain- 
ment to  the  vulgar.  If,  indeed,  you  can  pass  the 
first  stages  of  your  career  without  suffering  any- 
thing more  fatal  than  the  bastinado  you  might 
reach  at  last  some  such  great  position  as  I  occupy. 
Indeed,"  mused  the  kindly  old  man,  **Hareb,  my 
junior  partner,  and  Muktahr,  whom  you  have 
heard  called  'The  Camel  King,'  have  each  been 
bastinadoed  most  severely  in  the  past,  when  their 
operations  were  upon  a  smaller  scale.  .  .  .  But  we 
are  content  to  forget  such  things. 

*'I  have  no  more  to  tell  you.  Work  as  hard  as 
you  possibly  can,  live  soberly  and  most  minutely 
by  rule,  and  so  long  as  any  dregs  of  strength  re- 
main to  you  struggle  to  retain  some  small  part  of 
the  product  of  your  labour  for  the  support  of 
yourselves  and  your  families.  The  rest  will,  in 
the  natural  course  of  things,  find  its  way  into  the 
hands  of  men  like  myself.  .  .  .  And  now  depart 
with  my  benediction.  But,  stay,"  he  said,  as 
though  a  thought  had  struck  him,  ''I  cannot  let 
you  go  without  a  little  present  for  each. " 

So  saying,  the  kindly  old  man  went  to  a  cup- 
333 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

board  of  beautiful  inlaid  work,  and  drawing  from 
it  seven  dried  figs  in  the  last  stages  of  aridity  and 
emaciation,  he  presented  one  to  each  of  his 
nephews,  who  received  the  gift  with  transports  of 
gratitude  and  affection. 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  take  their  leave  the 
youngest  boy  (a  child,  it  will  be  remembered,  of 
but  tender  years),  approached  his  uncle  with  a 
beautiful  mixture  of  humility  and  love,  and  bring- 
ing out  a  paper  which  he  had  secreted  in  the  folds 
of  his  tunic,  begged  the  merchant  to  sign  his  name 
in  it  and  date  it  too,  as  a  souvenir  of  these  de- 
lightful mornings. 

''With  all  my  heart,  my  little  fellow,"  said 
Mahmoud,  patting  him  upon  the  head  and  reflect- 
ing that  such  good  deeds  cost  nothing  and  are 
their  own  regard. 

This  done,  the  boys  departed. 

*       #       *       *       * 

Next  morning,  on  Mahmoud  sending  a  slave  to 
his  cashier  for  the  sum  required  to  pay  a  band  of 
Kurdish  Torturers  w^hom  he  desired  to  hire  for 
his  debtors'  prison,  he  was  annoyed  to  receive 
the  reply  that  there  was  no  cash  immediately 
available,  a  large  draft  signed  by  him  having 
been  presented  that  very  morning  and  duly  hon- 
oured. As  the  sum  was  considerable,  and  as  the 
payment  had  been  made  but  a  few  moments 
before,  the  cashier  begged  his  master  to  wait  for 
half  an  hour  or  so  until  more  metal  could  be  pro- 
cured from  a  neighbouring  deposit. 

It  was  in  vain  that  Mahmoud  searched  his  mem- 
ory for  the  signature  of  any  such  instrument.  He 
was  puzzled  and  suspected  a  forgery.    At  last  he 

334 


THE  PEACE  OF  THE  SOUL 

determined  that  the  paper  should  be  sent  for  and 
put  before  him.  There,  sure  enough  was  his  sig- 
nature ;  but  the  sum  of  20,000  dinars  therein  men- 
tioned was  in  another  and  most  childish  hand. 
Then  did  it  suddenly  break  upon  the  great  Cap- 
tain of  Industry  that  the  tiny  child,  his  youngest 
nephew,  who  had  asked  for  his  autograph  as  a 
souvenir,  was  not  wholly  unworthy  of  the  blood 
which  he  had  collaterally  inherited.  .  .  .  He  wrote 
to  the  boy's  father  and  secured  the  little  fellow's 
services  as  oflSce-boy  at  nothing-a-week.  He 
watched  his  developing  talent,  and  was  not  dis- 
appointed. Long  before  the  lad  was  full  grown 
he  had  got  every  clerk  of  the  great  business  house 
into  his  debt  and  had  successfully  transferred  to 
his  own  secret  hiding-place  the  savings  of  the  por- 
ter, the  carrier  and  the  aged  widow  who  cleaned 
the  place  of  a  morning.  By  his  seventeenth  year 
he  had  brought  off  a  deal  in  fugitive  slaves,  taking 
equal  amounts  from  the  culprits  for  hiding  and 
from  the  masters  for  betraying  them.  By  his 
eighteenth  he  had  control  of  a  public  bath  where 
clients  were  watched  by  spies  and  thus  furnished 
a  source  of  ample  revenue.  Before  he  was  of  age 
he  had  astonished  and  delighted  his  now  aaore 
than  octogenarian  uncle  by  selling  him,  under  a 
false  name  and  through  a  man  of  straw,  a  ship 
due  to  arrive  at  Bosra,  but,  as  a  fact,  sunk  off 
Bushire  five  days  before. 

In  every  way  he  showed  himself  worthy  of  his 
uncle's  confirmed  reliance  on  his  commercial 
prowess.  When  the  lad  came  of  age,  the  Vener- 
able Mahmoud  gave  a  feast  of  unexampled  splen- 
dour which  foreshadowed  his  intentions. 

335 


THE  MERCY  OF  ALLAH 

For,  indeed,  but  a  month  later,  the  old  man 
began  to  fail,  and  in  a  few  weeks  more  was  warned 
by  his  physicians  of  approaching  death.  He  sum- 
moned scribes  to  his  bed,  dictated  in  a  firm  voice 
his  Will,  wherein  (after  reciting  provision  already 
made — under  heavy  pressure — for  his  wife)  he 
left  to  the  youngest  nephew  the  whole  of  his 
wealth,  saying  with  his  last  breath, '  'Allah !  Crea- 
tor and  Lord!  Lest  the  Talent  should  fall  into 
unworthy  hands!" 

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